


Disambiguation

by Exaigon



Series: Sate of Being [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Amnesia, Asexual Character, Asexual Noctis Lucis Caelum, Cecil the Kitten, Emotional Hurt, Emotional support animal, False Marriage, Fishing, Fluff, Guilt, I will update tags with the chapters, Ifrit is Kniphofer, Ifrit is also an angry boi, M/M, Pitioss Ruins (Final Fantasy XV), Poor Noctis Lucis Caelum, Rapier deserves his own tag, Sentient Scourge, Small crossovers with other final fantasies, headcanons galore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-02-23 06:44:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 49,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23940679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exaigon/pseuds/Exaigon
Summary: Ardyn sees a chance and takes it. It was probably the best revenge he could have chosen.Noctis isn't sure of a lot of things, including where he's from or what he used to be like, but he does know that he loves Ardyn.
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Series: Sate of Being [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1725766
Comments: 32
Kudos: 112
Collections: Ardynoct DS





	1. Stockholm

**Author's Note:**

> So! I'm a terrible person and I started a new project and you can blame all the wonderful peeps in my discord. Honestly, this was just supposed to be a one and done kind of thing but it... kept multiplying. I will say that work on it is currently slow so don't expect any frequent updates but it is the only thing I'm currently focusing on at the moment (when I'm not distracted by FF7R, whoops). Sorry to all my other fics but, uh, I got a new babe to nurture right now.
> 
> So, in honor of Ardyn's birthday. Have the beginning of a multi-chaptered, mostly fluffy, Ardyn/Noct fic. Enjoy!

The lights were bright and he flinched at the burn, groaning and trying to turn away from the source. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, he could not go back to the comforting darkness. So, he slowly blinked open his eyes to a white ceiling. Well, no wonder he couldn’t get any sleep, the curtains covering the window were pulled wide open allowing the sun to spill into the room, bouncing off the white walls and ceiling.

Ugh.

There was a light touch to his arm startling him into near jumping out of the soft bed and into a sitting position. Then his ears popped painfully and suddenly he could _hear_ and everything was so _loud._ With a strangled croak -and _ow,_ his _throat_ \- he clapped his hands over his ears to make it _stop._ His breath stuttered in his chest, tightening painfully, and pulling more gargling rasps and causing him to cough _and it- he couldn’t breathe- there was something in his chest- he just wanted it to_ **_stop_ ** _-_

Something shifted, tugging, warm and there was a dull thud-thud-thud as he was forced to lean back - _it hurt-_ but he couldn’t see because the black was overwhelming curling in on the sides of his vision- tugging, tugging- he didn’t want to _hear- too much-_

Something warm and scratchy settled over his eyes, pulling his head back further. With his hands removed he could hear a low voice- _someone yelling? talking?- it was too loud-_

Accompanied by the constant thud- thud- thud- it was enough, at least, to drown out everything else. The ringing was fading and he could make out that it _was_ a voice talking to him; low and smooth, reverberating into his back _soothing- he wanted to sleepsleepsleepsleep-_

“Breathe with me,” the voice hummed. “In, out, in.”

Soothing. So soothing… He gratefully welcomed the black again.

The next time he woke, it was with much less flailing and he was able to blink the grogginess away in order to take in the room. He vaguely remembered white walls but that observation had been off; they weren’t white, they were metal. Without the sunlight streaming in - a glance over to the window showed a darkness that swathed everything- it was much easier to gather his bearings… It probably helped too that his hearing didn’t come back out of nowhere.

The bed he was on was thin but comfortable, the sheets thick to ward off the chill in the air. The floor looked to be linoleum- and was definitely white- and there was only one heavy looking wooden door that was closed. A small metal table was next to the bed, a glass of water sitting atop it but besides that the room was barren.

Where exactly was he? How did he get here? What happened? 

Actually… now that he was thinking about it, there was a suspicious lack of anything for him to remember. What was his name? What did he even _look like?_ _Oh Gods-_

The door clicked and he turned his attention to it, desperate for a distraction from his spiralling thoughts. In walked a man with the strangest outfit - _was it actually stange or was it normal? Why couldn’t he remember!?-_ who was humming a small tune. As soon as his golden eyes - _so prettybrightpretty-_ fell upon him in the bed, a smile formed on his face. It seemed… off but he couldn’t tell exactly why.

“Ah, awake at last! We almost feared you wouldn’t make it! Why, what a tragedy that might have been.”

He stared blankly, trying to work through all the new stimuli. Something was pinging in the back of his head but he couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was exactly. It was like… he should know this man? Or was it something else? It was frustrating how much he was missing.

“W-ha-,” that was about all he could get out from his throat before it turned into coughing.

“Oh dear. There was a glass of water left just for you, you know.”

Gold eyes glinted - _amused?-_ as the scruffy man - _was his hair purple or red?-_ sauntered around the bed to the water, while he worked on controlling his breathing, thin pale fingers clenched in the rumpled shirt thing he was wearing. With a flourish, scruffy picked it up and presented it with a short bow, his hat now held over his heart - _definitely purplish red-_ . He took it slowly, vaguely noting his reflection showed as a black smudge on the glass and the water was too disturbed to look at himself because of his shaking hands. He ignored the looming figure besides the bed - _he felt safe- dangerous- important-_ and took slow careful sips until his throat was soothed enough for him to speak again.

He had so many questions… Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here? What happened? Do you know me? What-

“Well, aren’t you just being the reticent one, dear Noctis. Nothing to say?”

His head jerked up, vision swirling at the sudden movement, and blurted, “Is that my name?”

Scruffy looked taken aback, lips slightly parted, before he plopped his hat back over those silky looky strands of his tilting it down just to hide his eyes. “‘Tis your name indeed. Tell me, what do you remember?”

He drew a blank reaching for something, anything. There was perhaps a feeling of pain? Maybe… light? But it was entirely unhelpful.

“Nothing,” he murmured after a moment, resting the glass against his knee. It was pitiful he couldn’t even manage to hold it up for more than a few minutes.

“Nothing,” the man repeated. “I see. A tragedy or a comedy?”

Noctis _-it doesn’t ring any bells- hisnamehisname- something sounded wrong-_ let out a low confused noise at the question. What exactly did that mean?

“If you were to pick, would you choose a tragedy or a comedy?”

* * *

Ardyn’s mind was racing. Absconding with an injured princling had not been easy but he’d seen his chance to either set things in motion faster or possibly send a big ‘fuck you’ to the Astrals, so he’d taken it. With his healing still not working one hundred percent, he didn’t want to risk Daemonifying the Prince… _yet._ He’d had to rely on a quickly crafted potion to stem most of the bleeding. Then when he wasn’t quite so close to Insomnia he’d settled down and crafted a Hi-Elixir to finish the job. Noctis didn’t wake, though, and Ardyn used his time wisely to haul him all the way back to Nifelheim under the Emperor's nose. Maybe waiting to heal him had worse side effects than he’d predicted? Either that or the knock to the head had been much worse than originally thought. Still, he could work with this.

Gray eyes were staring, wide and innocent, right at him and Ardyn shifted under the gaze, not exactly sure why it was making him uncomfortable. Noctis blinked slowly and opened his mouth, quietly saying, “C-Comedy?”

Well, tragedy would have been his preferred route, dangling the helpless and hapless Prince in front of his own country or even turning the boy against them before revealing the truth. But, he was bored enough to work with comedy. He had all the time in the world, after all. Hm, now what would be the best route?

“Why are you asking me this?”

Ardyn smiled, all teeth, and settled himself down on the edge of the bed leaning into the Prince’s space to make him uncomfortable in return. “To test you, of course, my dear. Perhaps you cannot remember consciously but subconsciously? You gave the exact same answer you always do.”

“I… did?”

“You did,” he responded, the lie rolling off his tongue easily.

“You know me?”

“I do.”

“I know… you?”

“Indeed.”

There was a brief pause, the hesitation clear in the way his shaking hands fidgeted with the water settled on his knees and how his eyes lowered submissively. What a pretty sight that was.

“How- what… um, what happened?”

“Well, my dear,” he ran his tongue against the roof of his mouth contemplating how to spin this. Mostly truth would be best just in case the memories started peaking through again. “There was quite the kerfuffle and you were unfortunately caught in the crossfire. There was a lack of immediate medical aid that seemed to have exacerbated the situation.” 

“Oh… Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Hm?”

“M-My dear. That. Why do you keep…?”

Ardyn blinked, shifting back a bit -Noctis, despite originally reacting the way he wanted, no longer appeared uncomfortable with his proximity- and thought over his words. He had said that a few times, hadn’t he? Well, he was running the comedy route, why not just go with the first thing that popped into his head (he resolutely ignored the flashes of blonde hair attached to those memories)?

“Well, that would be because we are married.”

Noctis blinked in surprise, jaw dropping just a bit, before fear and frustration contorted his features. The water glass tipped, splashing the sheets and Ardyn scooped it up quickly to avoid spilling the rest. The prince let out an aggravated noise, hands going up to his hair to restlessly tug at it.

“I can’t remember!”

Well, this wouldn’t do…

“Noctis,” he chided gently but the boy seemed lost in his own head again. So, with an exasperated sigh, Ardyn set the water glass down and grabbed the boy’s hands, gently tugging them away. 

“Noctis,” he tried again. Still nothing. What was that nickname his friends had used? Oh, yes. “Noct!”

That got a reaction.

A full body flinch followed by wet grey puppy eyes staring at him, almost pleadingly. Ardyn really had to get used to those eyes if he was to ever get anywhere with this boy. Honestly, why did the Astrals have to pick the cute one? It was like an adorable puppy had been kicked right in front of him and if there was one thing Ardyn could not stand even now, it was animal abuse. 

“Oh, you poor boy. Everything must be so very confusing but never fear,” he hummed, gently stroking an alabaster cheek. “I’ll be here to _help_ you. But for now… you must be exhausted. Go to _Sleep_.”

Though his healing was still a work in progress, his magic was another matter. Offensive magic came much easier than it had so long ago (all thanks to the Scourge inhabiting his body) but Ardyn had been and always will be a master of support and status magicks. So, the spell immediately sent the Prince into a dreamless sleep; his head thunking down onto the Chancellor’s chest.

“ _I’ll take very good care of you.”_

* * *

Noctis hummed, pulling on a maroon jacket with brown fur around the hood, and settled on the bed to pull on the heavy knee high, water-treated, leather boots. He glanced at the full body mirror on the wall, and grinned a bit at how much the jacket made his eyes pop, but also swallowed him enough he looked like a marshmallow. He still had no idea how Ardyn could go out in this cold and be just fine. Sure, he wore several layers but Noctis himself had tried them all on (after much begging and maybe some sneaking a few days ago, though, he had the oddest feeling Ardyn _knew_ ) and still shivered underneath it. They weren’t layers made for cold, they were just strange. And, yes, he’d come to figure out from talking to multiple jumpy civilians and seeing several high ranking leaders from afar that his husband’s way of dressing was particularly odd. But he was all the more endearing for it.

He zipped up the jacket and headed out to the entryway of his husband’s estate. Situated on the outskirts of Gralea close to the main MT Lab -where he woke up actually- ; it wasn’t very big but it definitely wasn’t small either.

“Oh, there you are, my dear. Taking your sweet time were you?”

Ardyn smirked at him and Noctis huffed, “Was not. Just thinking about when I first woke up.”

“Ah. You have come quite a long way in the last month.”

“Well, I’d hope so! Lingering on what-ifs and trauma is lame,” he joked, a genuine grin stealing over his lips. Ardyn was able to do it so easily. The man didn’t even have to be trying but there was just something about him that put Noctis at ease; like he was dangerous but only in a certain way.

“Alas, you've once again reduced yourself to the commonality of teenagers,” the older man chuckled. 

“Ah, shut up old man.”

With a scandalized gasp, Ardyn placed a hand over his heart and mockingly drawled, “I have been betrayed by my very own husband. Whatever shall I do?”

“Escort him to the airship so he can see Tenebrae like promised?” 

“Oh, very well,” the Chancellor said with a put-upon sigh that was at odds with the small smile forming on his face. He offered one arm and Noctis latched on like a limpet. In the beginning Ardyn had been very standoffish. He was there when needed, soothing Noctis’ vague nightmares and providing for essential needs, but it had been a very lukewarm relationship. That hadn’t exactly helped with Noct’s confusion at the start, unfortunately. He knew absolutely nothing, still couldn’t recall much besides soft but muffled voices, and didn’t know if the relationship was normal. How did they get married? Ardyn didn’t seem very fond of him so maybe it was arranged? Or maybe Ardyn wasn’t normally like this?

Whatever it was then, it had slowly started to change. With almost every night spent either with nightmares or panic attacks, Ardyn stayed longer and longer. The first excuse was to make sure it wouldn’t happen again (which it had before so it had seemed very reasonable), the second was for company (which made sense as well because Noctis forgetting wasn’t only just affecting himself), and the third… didn’t exist because there were no excuses. The scruffy man -and, wow, he had discovered that scruff was _wonderful_ \- had sat down about a week ago and explained that he was trying to be there for Noctis while also respecting boundaries. He didn’t want to make his husband uncomfortable because no matter how their relationship used to be, it wasn’t the same.

And that…

Well, it had changed practically everything. The cold demeanor he had been so worried about suddenly made sense and Noctis felt extremely selfish. He _had_ thought about the other man but more along the lines of how it affected himself. So, he had resolved to reach out in return. Instead of huddling in his room and trying -and _failing_ \- to remember, he went out into the hallways and explored. Ardyn had told him before he was more than welcome anywhere in the house after he’d been brought here but he’d never thought to look at any of it. It hadn’t seemed important for some reason.

It was… strange; beautifully decorated but lacking something personal. There were no pictures of them anywhere, which he still hasn't brought up, but that wasn’t the only thing that panged as weird. Everything looked so _new_ and untouched, like no one lived here. He had brushed it off as a matter for another time. He’d set himself on a mission to reach out and, dammit, he was going to. What was the easiest way to bond with someone that didn’t involve crying for hours on end?

Cooking. It seemed important. Maybe it was something he liked to do!

Except he was sort of a disaster in the kitchen. Ardyn had come back home just as Noctis slipped on an earlier grease spill he obviously hadn’t cleaned as well as he thought, and lost hold of the bag of flour he’d been toting. It was the first time he’d actually heard the man laugh in a way other than that sort of mocking chuckle. It was deep and reverberating, voice clear from the raspy quality that it was normally spoken with and it made his chest tighten and heat in a pleasant way. Noctis swore another oath to himself. He was going to make his husband laugh as often as he could and reciprocate all offered affection.

So, he took all offered contact with as much enthusiasm as it deserved; which was a lot. He was only slightly surprised he hadn’t been labeled a barnacle or an octopus yet.

The trip was relatively short, a few minutes down a walkway that led to the garage, separate from the rest of the place, where they both settled in the classic red car Ardyn had lovingly called ‘his precious’ when they’d first used it to get Noctis to the manor. After that it was only an hour into Gralea to the airship they were, basically, hitching a ride on. From there, they sat quietly in the cabin with the deactivated MT’s -Astrals those things were so creepy- while Noctis snuggled into the taller man’s side. 

(4/10 would not recommend. Worst ride ever. It felt like the MT eyes were following him everywhere even though they were off. Ardyn was distracted and only paying him half attention… and were there no heaters on these blasted things?)

Only a few hours later, they were setting down. Noctis was startled out of his half-asleep state when the bay door started lowering and Ardyn pulled him up slowly making sure he was able to stand on his own. Then they set off alone. As soon as they were outside -and, whoa, it was gorgeous!- the temperature change was immediate. He stripped off the jacket with relish and handed it to Ardyn who vanished it in a crack of purple light -that seemed so familiar it made his head hurt, but it was a good pain he’d decided because it meant he _knew_ whatever it was that caused it even if he couldn’t _remember_ \- and he took his time stretching his arms above his head.

“This is so much better than Nifelheim,” he groaned happily.

“What an indecent noise,” Ardyn chortled, walking past him.

“Yea, well, I don’t like the cold,” Noctis retorted as he slowly lowered his arms and sauntered after his husband. “Can we move?”

“I’m the Chancellor of Niflheim, my dear.”

“So? Tenebrae is supposed to be part of Niflheim now, right? We can totally live here if this is what the middle of winter is like! There’s not even any snow! It’s fantastic.”

And it really was. The air was a bit chilly but he still had two layers on, a long sleeved undershirt made for insulating body heat, and a dark red button up that had a matching pattern on his husband’s scarf. On his legs were another pair of insulating underwear and a pair of thicker weaved grey pants that had leather padded protectors on the thigh sides. Then, of course, his knee high boots with thick cotton socks. So, he was at a perfect temperature right now and absolutely loving it.

“Well aren’t you just the Prince of Complaints?”

“Hey! I’m totally the King, okay!”

Ardyn laughed softly and Noctis grinned at his accomplishment. He focused more on his surroundings marveling at the fact that there were actually floating pieces of land above them. How in the world was that even happening? There was probably some scientific reason but it looked just like magic- breathtakingly beautiful. Even the greenery was gorgeous despite the season, dotted all along the dirt path were vibrant blues and whites.

"Oh, I recognize these!" The excitement in his voice was palpable, as a vague memory of white stones and blue blossoms fluttered in his mind’s eye. It was the first actual visual memory he’d gotten since waking up.

"Sylleblossoms are the national flower," Ardyn said, gold eyes watching him carefully. Noctis could actually feel his face fall as he thought about it. That was true. He knew about them beforehand actually. It was just seeing them had summoned a memory but maybe it was just him trying to make it up? At his disheartened features, the purple haired man quickly continued, "But you have been here once before."

"I have?" He immediately lightened up, the ugly feeling starting to tighten in his chest disappearing.

"Before we were married," Ardyn agreed.

Noctis paused for a moment, a sudden thought and need to know pirating his mouth. "How long have we been married?"

Ardyn's small smile fell and Noctis cursed himself in his head. He told himself he wasn't going to ask questions! They always made Ardyn frown and that was completely against his self-appointed mission.

"Not very long," he capitulated. "Aaaah. Truth be told, Noct, if you hadn't lost your memories I don't believe a relationship would have lasted long between us." That was… unexpected. How exactly had they gotten together then? What kind of person was he before? What was his life like that he just randomly decided to marry the Chancellor of Niflheim? "'Twas a spur of the moment decision, you see. We didn't even buy rings for one another."

Which explained a lot, actually. The lack of pictures and rings, the emptiness of the manor, and Ardyn’s cool attitude from before carried an even more depressing spin. Was he really such a terrible person that the man had been hesitant to even initiate touch with him? Noctis was starting to get the feeling that maybe he didn’t want to know what his life had been like despite the questions still clanging in the back of his head. But… there was still one that was pressing so urgently at the forefront of his mind.

"Do you regret it?"

* * *

Did he regret it?

No. Which made it worse. Ardyn absolutely did not regret stealing away with the Prince of Lucis in the least. In fact, he didn’t even regret the lies that had fallen so readily from his mouth in the beginning. He tried his best to stick to the truth in most cases even in a roundabout way because… well, he felt guilty. After Angelgard and Verstael he’d thought his ability to feel that emotion had degraded but this boy had brought it back tenfold.

Noctis, in the first few weeks, had suffered nightmares, dissociative episodes, and panic attacks daily and to keep up the act for his new play -his healer heart had nothing to do with it, definitely not- he comforted the boy. He would hold him and hum hymns lost to time, he would feed him while his lips twitched with sorrow at the thought of this boy being forced into an opposing role by the Astrals ( _they didn’t deserve this_ ), he would carefully work on the boy’s back soothing aches and massaging cramping muscles, he would… he did… a lot. Ardyn would not admit it aloud but he _was_ lonely, it was easier to be. A lesson he learned the hard way after his own brother’s betrayal and his fiance’s death. But- there was a bond that formed between patient and healer no matter how one tried to stay distant. Physical contact after so many years of starvation or negative touch had turned his body into something of an addict. He craved Noctis’ touch whether it was snuggling or just a light touch to the hand. Did it make him a repulsive person that he was actually attracted to the boy more than a decade his junior (not even counting the millenia he spent _locked up_ )? Probably.

Ardyn had decided to enact this comedic play as a defiance to the Astrals and yet it had instead turned on him. Comedy falling into tragedy as he agonized over his decisions. Did he return the boy to Lucis and let it all end there, cutting off any ties between them before they grew stronger? Or did he continue, selfishly keeping the True King to himself turning this into drama with a tragic end? For there really was no good way to end it now. 

“No,” he spoke after a moment. “I have no regrets about the past.” Only about the possible future and what it would do to the boy. Especially after he finally broke free from his shell and was so _happy_. Noctis had seemed the typical ‘emo’ teenager while in Lucis but, despite actual trauma and amnesia, he was always smiling now, seemingly carefree.

“Good,” the prince muttered as he crouched down, arching his spine a bit to accommodate his old injury, to mess with a few of the flowers.

Ardyn sighed. He was already the Accursed, filled with Starscourge and prophesied to be the enemy of the world. Screw the Astrals and the idiotic line of Somnus (beside Noctis, of course), he had suffered and he deserved _some_ happiness. 

He refused to think about it happening at the cost of Noctis’ pain.

“You have questions. I think perhaps it is time to answer some.”

Blue eyes glanced up at him, startled. It was quite interesting to note that the light of Tenebraen sun made the prince’s eyes a beautiful vibrant blue when Niflheim’s snowy, cloudy sky turned them a dull gray. It also gave his skin a little more color instead of the dreadful pasty white he’d been sporting the past month. Just another reason he shouldn’t be keeping the boy to himself but… he couldn’t let go either.

“You don’t have to,” Noctis exclaimed. Straightening quickly and almost tumbling over in his haste. Ardyn caught him quickly, resting one hand gently on his shoulder. 

“No. I don’t. But it truly isn’t fair to you, my dear. I will answer to the best of my ability but keep in mind I don’t know everything and there will be some questions I can’t-”

“That’s okay! It is, really! You don’t have to-”

“Noct,” he said forcefully. “I _want_ to answer for you. I know these questions have been plaguing you. Let me help.”

Noctis sucked in a sharp breath and let it out slowly, his bright eyes searching. Whatever it was he was looking for, he seemed to have found it as he nodded.

They moved off the small pathway, wading through a few flower patches, as the young man led them over to a tree a far way off. It was large and the leaves drooped like long whips that enshrouded the area around the trunk; it was a perfect spot for some privacy. It was also nicely shady and would allow him to pull off his hat without catching any sun. He plopped down against the trunk and glanced up at the fidgeting prince with a raised brow. 

“Can I-?”

It took him a few moments before he processed what the boy was asking for. Then, he gave an exasperated sigh -definitely not a cover as he tried to compose himself because he was _too cute_ \- and yanked Noctis into his lap. The startled yelp did nothing to stop Ardyn’s inner cooing.

“Comfortable, my dear?”

Noctis glared up at him with a small pout before he situated himself, squishing himself between Ardyn’s legs so his butt was squarely on the ground, legs thrown over Ardyn’s right, and head tucked under his chin. It was supremely comfortable and he couldn’t help but relax into it, draping himself over the boy like an overly large cat.

“Very,” he finally huffed.

“Ask away then,” he hummed, taking pleasure in the shiver it elicited.

“How did we meet?”

“Hm.” Of course he picked one of the hardest questions first. “It was an off chance meeting. Not expected at all... Providence, one could say. You were in a bad situation so I brought you with me. We never really got the chance to know each other before.”

“Sounds… interesting. What… um, what was wrong with my situation?”

“Hm. I don’t know all the details, you never shared. But I can hazard a guess.”

Noct shifted, shoving his nose into Ardyn’s collarbone. For a brief moment, the Accursed wished his jacket wasn’t in the way before he shoved the thought down.

“Please tell me.” The words were quiet and muffled but he still understood.

“The pressure of society weighed heavily on you, my dear. As far as I understood it, you loved your family, but were estranged from them, already living in your own apartment just to get away.”

Not a word he spoke was mistruth but he knew exactly how Noctis would be taking it and it made something in his gut twist.

“Was I a terrible person?”

“What in heaven's name makes you say that?” He almost pulled away to look at Noctis face, but the little limpet locked his arms around his torso so they couldn’t be separated and shoved his face further into Ardyn’s neck. 

“What if it wasn’t my family but me?”

“Noctis-”

“I just left them to go running off into the sun and I didn’t contact them, did I?”

Ardyn hesitated, “Well, no-”

“What if I’m the problem? I took advantage of you to run away! You never want to touch me and I know you say it’s boundaries but-”

“Noctis-” This was becoming a more common occurrence than he’d like.

“Is it selfish to want you to like me? You saved me and all I can think about is myself!”

Okay. Enough was enough. With a little bit of difficulty, he managed to wedge a hand between himself and the boy, covering his mouth to stop the rant. It was bad enough he already felt guilty about keeping him but now Noctis thought _he_ was the bad one.

“Listen and listen well,” he commanded, a bit of scourge leaking through and deepening his voice from all the high emotions. “ _You_ are not the problem. You never have been. I did not save you unselfishly but I refuse to regret it. You have brought nothing but light back into my life, Noctis. So, do not think so lowly of yourself when you should only be thinking that of me.”

Noctis’ arms tightened around him but he didn’t move. It was still, time dragging between them awkwardly until he felt a wet warmth on his hand. He yanked it out from between them with an offended hiss, “Of all the childish-!”

“I’m sorry.”

Ardyn blinked and sighed. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

Another moment of silence. 

“Can I… still ask questions?”

“That is why we’re sitting here.”

“Why do you think you saved me for unselfish reasons?”

Ugh. Another difficult question. “That is not as easy to answer, dear one.”

“I don’t mind waiting…”

With one hand he removed his hat, letting his head thunk against the tree trunk, before dropping the article on the ground. His lungs inflated, as he took a calming breath -relishing the heavy weight of another person on him-, and let it out slowly. His answer came out haltingly as he searched for the right words. “I wanted to- have you. To steal you away. What you must understand, Noct- is that I am not a nice man. I’ve done a lot of awful things. But you were there. A perfect opportunity. At the time I didn’t know exactly what you could be used for, but you were not the one that took advantage. I was.”

“So, does that mean you took me as a trophy husband?”

Ardyn spluttered, sitting up straight in shock. It was only the muffled laughter that stopped him from blurting out something stupid. Instead, he slouched back against the tree again and let out a sullen, “How dare you suggest I would do such a thing.”

“I’m only joking,” and Ardyn could practically hear the grin in the prince’s voice, “If I was a trophy husband you’d have shown me off to all those fancy bigwigs you won’t let me near.”

Of course he’d noticed that.

“It’s only for your safety. They’re a lot of sharks and if they sense any blood in the water-”

“Makes sense. I’m not too worried about it. Don’t really care about politics, I guess.” At this point Noctis pulled away and looked straight into golden eyes. “But I do want to know why we got married so suddenly.”

“Ah. That was my idea, I’m afraid. I wanted to keep you, you see,” Ardyn trailed off unsure of how to continue.

“Hm. But I agreed so obviously I thought it was a good idea. Either way I’m glad we did.”

Ardyn’s lip twitched at the shame that lodged in his chest. It was only mitigated by the warmth Noct’s words infused into his very bones. “I’m glad we did as well,” he whispered on a tongue that tasted like ash.

“Ardyn?”

“Hm?”

“How old are you? And how old am I?”

Hrk. He could lie but… well, this was awkward. Noctis was snickering now, head back against the Chancellor’s chest to hide his face.

“Yes, yes. I’m too old for you and yet you still want to stick around for some reason. To answer your question,” he continued before the boy could get a word in edgewise, “I’m 33 and you’re 19.”

This time there was an impressed whistle. “Damn, old man. What a good catch you got!”

Ardyn snorted. “Indeed. Now, you brat, was there anything else you wanted to know?”

Noctis glanced up again, nibbling on his lip. Oooh, that did horrible things to his anatomy. If he didn’t have the self control he did, Noctis would already be ravished.

“Can I ask what you’ve done that you think is so horrible?”

Ardyn let out a disbelieving snort, “It is not that I think them horrible, but that they are. I have slaughtered many men, Noctis and I have helped in the production of MTs that have helped Niflheim in turning the tides of the war.”

“Is that it?”

Ardyn raised a brow.

“Well, it’s war, isn’t it? I’m not saying that war is good but a lot of men do bad things in war, right? Is it only war crimes that you believe make you a bad man?”

“You are too pure for this world,” Ardyn mumbled, turning his eyes up and away from the puppyish face.

“What was that?”

“I said, I don’t deserve you.”

Noctis snorted. “If anything you’re the one out of my league!”

“Oh? Then what ‘leagues’ do you think we both belong to?” His smirk was wide, showing off a bit of tooth.

That one got the prince to hesitate, clearly thinking over his words. Ardyn shoved his forgotten hat into the boy’s face as a distraction. It sent him reeling back for a moment before he resettled, but did not remove the hat, instead shifting it up and childishly sticking his tongue out. “It’s mine now you can’t have it back.”

He noticed the nonanswer but let it be. “Is that a challenge?”

Blue eyes widened and his two hands came up to secure the hat to his head. “No!”

That one got a full bellied laugh. ‘Tis true Noctis could be childish but it was more in an endearing way than a tantrum way. It was hilarious more often than not, honestly, and very heartening. When he was finally able to calm down, it was to the sight of a dopily smiling boy, still clutching his hat to his head, and laughter still glimmering in those mischievous orbs. 

“Ah, Noct, you truly are a treasure. I think, if you’ll let me, I’ll just have to hoard you.”

“Like a chocobo with shiny things?”

“Most assuredly.”

Noctis flung himself forward, lips pressing insistently against Ardyn’s own. They were warm and soft and- they should not be doing this! With more willpower than he thought possible, the Accursed yanked himself backwards heedless of the tree trunk behind him. It was an easily ignorable sharp sting that would heal shortly anyway. Unfortunately, the devastation that flashed across Noctis face was not so easy to ignore. It made his throat dry up immediately and his heart clench painfully.

“Noctis-”

“No, I get it. I shouldn’t have done that! It was just me being stu-”

“If you finish that sentence I’m going to spank you.”

This time, instead of having to call his name several times thankfully, Noctis stuttered to a halt with, “What?”

“Are you listening, silly boy?”

“I guess I am.”

Once again his heart clenched at the tone. How was this even fair? “First of all, I want to apologize -and do not interrupt- I want to apologize for- for pulling away so abruptly. It’s not that I don’t want it. It’s just… There are still things you don’t know-”

“So tell them to me,” Noct butted in mulishly, completely ignoring his earlier demand. “I. Want. This. This makes me _happy_ and I-I’d like to think it would make you happy too!”

“It really would, but there are so many things to consider-”

“No! No buts! Please! We don’t have to do anything crazy…”

Ardyn sighed, shifting the Prince so he faced away and trapped him against his sturdy chest with steel like arms. Noctis allowed it with minimal fuss, adjusting his legs to face straight for comfortability.

“I’ll tell you,” he whispered. “It’s only fair. And if you still wish to stay then I would be overjoyed to have you.”

Noctis leaned his head back, allowing the scruffy chin to settle on his fluffy locks. “I can take it.”

“My story is not a pretty one, darling. But you- of all the people in the world, you deserve to know.”

He didn’t want to lose him.

* * *

By the end of the story, beautifully orated despite the numerous cracks and hitches that appeared in that low timbre, Noctis was close to pathetically breaking down and squeezing the Scourge from his husband’s body with a long tight hug. He had no idea if he’d ever been upset at the Astral’s before but he was absolutely sure that he hated them now. It wasn’t fair! They couldn’t just choose one person to take the problems of the world when the Astrals had the power to cleanse the Scourge themselves.

He was absolutely going to stay with Ardyn. Nothing was going to change his mind about this! There was only one thing he needed to know for the future...

“Are you contagious?”

Ardyn’s arms tightened briefly and Noctis strengthened his grip on the man’s hands in reassurance. “I am not. I can only infect someone consciously or sometimes when I try to heal them.”

“Can I see it?”

“Noctis…”

“Please?”

Noctis felt the Chancellor’s lungs expand against his back and deflate slowly.

“Very well. Turn around.”

And then he was released, though he still gripped those calloused hands in his own pale fingers for a few seconds longer. With a fortifying breath the amnesiac turned slowly, shifting so he rested on his hip and Ardyn’s leg was taking some of his weight. 

It was… a horrifying sight. One that you couldn’t help but study in gruesome fascination.

Ardyn’s eyes that were usually closer to an amber kind of gold were now molten and glowing, leaking a sort of black sludge from both his eyes and mouth that also reflected from multiple veins across his face and neck.

“Not contagious?”

Sharp eyes studied his face before giving a quick short shake of his head. Noctis didn’t hesitate in throwing himself forward again. It was awkward, his back stretching a bit painfully and then practically putting all his weight onto the arm clutching at his husband’s shoulder, but he regretted nothing. Especially, when this time the kiss was returned with fervor. (Though, it didn’t exactly taste the best, he ignored it.)

He didn’t really pay attention to how long they were sitting there, adjusting and readjusting to get comfortable, fighting and relinquishing air with every breath shared between them. It wasn’t all that important until the air started getting a bit too chilly and the sky darkened enough that the tree was cast in heavy shadows. It was slightly unnerving that, though the black sludge was gone -and thankfully the taste of decayed earth and flesh with it- Ardyn’s eyes still glowed and they were much easier to study in the low lighting. Instead of just gold there were streaks of darker amber and even a small ring of red around the pupil area, which had turned slightly oblong, more like a wild predator than a human. Still, they belonged to Ardyn and he loved them just the same as the rest of the man.

“Noctis…”

He panted in response, still wanting to continue. “Yea?”

“My precious treasure, do you know how very special you are? You’ve made them stop.”

While flattered in the beginning, the last sentence only confused him. “Is that… a good thing?”

Ardyn laughed again, a rumbling in his chest that reverberated through his entire frame, and it immediately made Noctis smile; it sounded so _light_ and _happy._ “‘Tis an amazing thing. I hadn’t truly realized how loud they’d gotten!”

“Ardyn?” The man hummed, a lazy smile pulling on his lips. “Who is ‘they’?”

Golden met blue and the smile turned a bit bittersweet on the edges. “Daemons, my dear. When I daemonify someone I receive their memories. They clamor loudly in the back of my head, their personality and feelings conflict with my own and mingle with the thousands of others that have turned. The Scourge is… almost hive-minded in a way. All the daemons are connected and, as the highest concentration of them lives in me, I have become the Queen.”

Noctis couldn’t help but gape. That was horrifying! How could someone live with so many other people in their head? Humans were individuals, made to believe and feel differently than every other unique individual out there. To put all that conflicting information into _one_ person was ludicrous! If he ever got his hands on any of the Astrals he was going to throttle them!

No wonder… his husband had broken in the beginning. Had given into the Scourge after so long fighting it. Ifrit’s memories (and wow, what a shocker to learn Ifrit -a literal _god-_ was a daemon and controlled by Ardyn) must have overwhelmed the little left of him that was fighting… But now, Noctis had been able to help. _Noctis_ was able to fight the daemons for him.

He swooped down for another kiss, savoring the moment when his husband returned it. Speaking of, he was going to have to find some rings or something else to symbolize their love. They didn’t need it, per se, but to have that material object tying them together would be special.

After a few more moments of his chest burning from lack of air, he pulled back with a gasp. “I won’t let you be alone,” he promised, the words sitting heavily on his tongue, just like the oaths he had made to himself. “For as long as you’ll have me, I’ll drive the daemons away with my love.”

Ardyn sucked in a ragged breath, watching him with slowly widening eyes. “Noctis-”

“I swear it to you.”

The Chancellor huffed and yanked him down in a long hug suffused with enough heat to chase the palpable chill away. “Are you saying you love me, dear Noctis,” the man whispered into his ear.

“I do,” he murmured softly, turning into the man’s neck ruffles but making sure he was intelligible enough to be heard. “I know it hasn’t been long… and I hardly know anything still. But I _do know that I love you._ ”

“Oh, my sweet prince… I truly don’t deserve you.”

Noctis huffed. “I told you, I’m definitely a King.”

“That you are,” Ardyn hummed. “My King of Light, sent to chase away the Darkness.”

An hour or two later, they were both walking down the dirt path again, the stars twinkling merrily above them and Noctis had taken a few minutes to stare at the stunning sight. If there was one good thing about having a Daemon Queen husband, it was that they could actually enjoy nightly strolls without anything bothering them, so of course he was going to take full advantage of that. They were about a thirty or forty minute walk from the closest village and his back was twinging something awful but that was easily ignored as he squeezed himself into Ardyn’s side to leech all his heat.

“You know I could just give you your jacket back.”

“Pft. But then I can’t snuggle you as easily. It’s too thick. Besides, you're better than a jacket any day.”

The heat seemed to turn up several notches next to him and Noctis practically purred in delight. Who knew that once you got past his defenses, his husband would be so easy to tease. Actually… that reminded him…

“Hey, Ardyn, you said you had a fiance right?”

“I did.”

“Hm… did you ever lay with her?”

“Of course not. We weren’t yet wed and I wasn’t nearly as promiscuous as _some_.” And, oops, now he sounded offended. Oh well. Time to make it worse.

“So… I’m pretty sure you never slept with me… and you never slept with her… Does that make you a two-thousand year old virgin?”

The ancient daemon actually tripped and stumbled. Noctis was pretty sure the only reason he didn’t actually fall was because he was still attached to his side for heat. It was _that_ gloriously bad!

“I could have slept with multiple people-”

“Could have?”

“Shut your mouth, you obnoxious little brat!”

And then Ardyn was stealing his hat back off Noctis’ head so he could stride forward regally, taking all his heat with him.

“H-Hey! No fair,” he shivered, “Get back here!”

The journey took a bit less time than predicted because of the small game of chase they had going but eventually they ended up at a small settlement right on the outskirts of a forest of massive trees -not as large as he’d seen in a pictures of the capital but still enough for it to be larger than Noct’s whole arm span-. There were no people around considering the hour, but most buildings had lights on inside or a floodlight covering entrances from the outside. The Inn was fairly obvious thankfully, with a big glowing neon sign and by the time he’d caught up to Ardyn who was standing outside the Inn, the amnesiac was limping. He was doing his best to hide it, but his husband had very observant eyes and he could tell exactly when the man noticed by the small crease between his brows.

“It seems we pushed a little past your limits, sweetling,” Oh, that was a new endearment that he liked, “Let us grab a room and I’ll help ease the aches, hm?”

Noct tried to smile but it probably came out more of a grimace as his hip popped when he shifted to relieve some of the pain. “I think that sounds perfect.”

“Wonderful.”

It was a simple process, gil for a room, keys taken, and then Noct was lying on the bed, both shirts pulled off so Ardyn could have access to the ugly scarring on his back. In the early days, he thought perhaps this might have been the injury that had put him down, but Ardyn had disagreed. He said it was an old injury, one he’d had before they had met. The injury that had ended up with him in the MT lab had been on the back of his head and most of the scarring was gone. All that was left was some red lines that wrapped around to the back of his left ear and was perfectly covered by his hair; invisible.

He still wondered about his back, though. What had caused it? Was that the reason for the rift between him and his mysterious family? (Gods he still felt guilty about that but he felt afraid to ask to see them- what if they didn’t want to see him- what if he couldn’t remember them when the time came- what if they tried to separate him from Ardyn?) No matter the cause, it was still a pain in the ass. His three weeks bedridden didn’t exactly help, allowing the muscles that supported his back to atrophy and causing more issues overall. He was trying to do stretches in the morning and at night followed by a little bit of a morning workout but he had to be careful not to exacerbate anything. He was lucky to have a man who was so skilled with his hands. 

“Here we go.”

And then there were heated hands gliding down his upper back to the top of the injury and back up again and all thoughts just faded from his mind. Noctis just allowed himself to feel as Ardyn relaxed his upper back enough to start work on the lower portion. The chancellor was so careful, poking and prodding around clumped knots and scar tissue until they would start to relax, the pinching pain fading. Some sessions were short, just enough to get the muscles to relax enough for him to sleep, others were longer, deeper, and more painful. This one was looking to be one of those. He gasped and grunted, trying to latch onto the soothing baritone that was humming above him but it was so hard. His hands clenched the sheets, almost ripping them from the bed.

“Breathe, Noct. Don’t fight. I know it hurts now but it’ll feel better in the morning. I’m sure you don’t want to be carried for half the day after all.”

“Ghhhgg, t-trying,” he snapped. Then he immediately regretted the tone. It just _hurt_.

“Oh hush. Don’t talk. Just breathe. There we are. Only a little more.”

And then _finally_ Ardyn backed away to wash his hands of the poultice he carried specifically for these sessions. Noctis breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly pushed up onto all fours so he could start his stretches and go to sleep.

The trip around the forests of Tenebrae didn’t last near as long as he would have hoped due to his back but they did get to talk to some of the townspeople and get information on some interesting spots to visit in the area. There was a gorgeous crystalline lake they spent an entire day besides (and Noctis had the strongest urge to buy a rod and fish), an interesting ruin covered in overgrown weeds that lead to an actual tomb (which Ardyn had said belonged to a Lucian King, so they didn’t go inside), a small hut further in the forest where a wife and husband tended to rare plants to keep them from going extinct (he might have bought a small hanging plant for his room- the flowers, while not Sylleblossoms, still bloomed from the drooping leaves a gorgeous blue), and finally a cave they accidentally stumbled upon that ended up housing a few Chocobo nests (which Ardyn melted over and Noct felt his insides turn to mush from cuteness overloads; both from the birds and his husband). So, after four days of slowly ambling around in the Tenebraen wilderness and trying local cuisine, they set out back down the path they came from to be picked up by an Imperial dropship.

After returning home, and grumbling about the cold all the while as Ardyn sighed in exasperation, Noctis set about hanging his plant. It took a few minutes of figuring out the perfect spot but eventually he was able to hang it so it got the most sunshine from the window during the day. Pleased, he padded out of the room into the kitchen to try his hand at that dish he had enjoyed for yesterday’s dinner. It was all going great too, the paper with the recipe was next to the stove so he had easy access, the pots were boiling merrily. And then he turned away _for two second_ and everything went up in flames. Literally.

His yelp attracted Ardyn who couldn’t help but stare at the raging inferno in disbelief. “How…?”

“I don’t know!”

“You’re never cooking without supervision again.”

Noctis could only sigh in misery. He lost the recipe too, dammit.

* * *

Ardyn signed the last bit of paperwork demanding his attention and shoved it on top of the completed pile with a relieved sigh. If there was one thing he never did like about running a kingdom (on the throne or off it), it was the paperwork. It was ridiculous how much could be generated in just a day. Honestly, one thing that hadn’t changed with time and it had to be this?

If Iedolas himself hadn’t demanded he finish his own paperwork -because Verstael was a filthy tattletale when it suited him- he’d still be shoving it on random peons. It's not like the Chancellor position was even all that important really in the grand scheme of things. It was Ardyn himself who had made it important by whispering into willing and corruptible ears. There really shouldn't be as much paperwork in his office as there was. (He decidedly ignored the fact that he normally skipped doing any of it for months at a time when it suited him which led to towering piles that could _eat_ a person if they ever got too close.)

But now he was finished and he could go home to see his sweet boy’s face and get a hug and some kisses. Noctis had made him soft again. Oh, he was still the Accursed, Chancellor of Niflheim, and all around troll that caused chaos wherever he went… but it had become more of a mask. After two months -three if he counted the first one- of Noctis living with him, pushing away the voices and hallucinations (for he could recognize the scourge born images now and the damage they did to his psyche, though he was still working on ignoring them), of treating him kindly and basking in his presence, Ardyn could finally say that he was the closest to the old him he had ever been and he’d never thought that possible. The spite for the Gods was still there, shared by his little husband, and his penchant for word games and chaos was ever so strong, but he didn’t revel in the creation of darkness or the pain of the less fortunate. He didn’t crave the end of things or his death on a silver platter. For the first time in years, he wanted to live. He wanted to share his life with someone.

And that was dangerous.

There were still days where the guilt plagued him and the fear of losing Noctis (of losing his Light, his Love) ate at him, but they were getting easier to push away. The justifications were more reasonable, more sound and steady. He had finally achieved happiness (perhaps not fully because the Empire and Lucis were still thorns in his sides but), but it was a fragile thing, only one column holding it aloft. It was more easily lost than it had been gained. If he truly lost Noctis, he was not sure exactly what he would do. ‘Twas best not to think about it probably.

With a sigh, he stood from his ornate chair, leaving the ridiculously ostentatious office behind as he stalked past his useless secretary -literally all she was good for was distributing and collecting paperwork, otherwise she was spineless- through the halls of the palace. Since there were no pressing appointments in the near future he would retire to his manor and cuddle his precious prince.

By the time he got home _-hehadahomeagain-_ the sun was already half set, and the mountains closest to the manor had already set it into shadow. All the lights were on in the front in a warm welcome. Which was exactly what Noctis had told him once. His sweetling turned on the lights, though he knew they were not needed, so that the Chancellor always knew he was coming home to his King of Light. It was so heartwarming, and he was still so bad with his own positive emotions, that he might have spontaneously combusted and iced the entire room which startled his boy into a laughing fit filled with wheezing and tears.

When he did not get the normal greeting upon opening the door, he glanced around noting the kitchen was still in one piece but there was a new scorch mark on the ceiling -and how he kept burning things was still a mystery since he seemed decent enough at cooking when he was supervised- and two missing chairs, and there were ancient books and heavy parchments spread out in the back study. Hm, he’d been researching again. Which meant he had probably gone for a nap and not gotten back up yet. If there was one trait he was dismayed to see passed down in Somnus’ line, it was sleeping anywhere and everywhere. At least, Noctis had more reason than his little brother had had…

He checked his own room, noting the messy bed but no Noctis. That left only one other place for him to be. He knocked lightly on the closed door to Noctis’ room and was slightly startled by the small crash that followed, not expecting the boy to be awake.

“Noctis?”

“Ah! Sorry, you startled me is all! Uh, give me a minute!”

Despite them both sleeping in Ardyn’s bed (though nothing had happened beyond sweet fondling and kissing because Noctis wasn't ready), he respected Noctis’ space and kept out of it since the door was always closed. He was curious, of course he was, but he could survive if it made his little King of Light more comfortable. Normally, Noctis wasn’t in his room, instead studying ancient texts and pulling apart old legends alongside the Cosmogony to find a way to help Ardyn (because of course he had yet to tell Noctis of his own roll… he couldn’t), so it was slightly strange to find him in there.

The door opened a moment later, and Noctis poked his head out with a sheepish smile. “I wasn’t expecting you just yet… but I guess it’s as ready as it’ll ever be.”

Interesting. “What’s ready, my dear?”

“Um, well…” Noctis pulled open the door and swung his hand inside with a flourish. “Ta da!”

There was a table with a white cloth on it, the two missing kitchen chairs on either side of it. The candles Noctis had requested a week ago were set in four points around the centerpiece of a red sylleblossom in a simple glass vase. There were two plates already there covered with simple napkins, with cutlery set nicely beside them.

“Oh, my sweetling,” he murmured, his entire being practically glowing at the romanticism. “And how long were you plotting this, hm?”

The boy’s face, that was only slightly flushed before, turned a deep red. “Well, um, since Tenebrae,” he squeaked. “There was a lot of stuff I had to get together, and I’ve been practicing my cooking and baking as you know, and I had to wait for the seeds to bloom and-”

Ardyn cut him off with a searing kiss.

As isolated as Noctis was -not that he’d heard any complaints about it besides wanting to travel again- it must have taken a while for him to prepare all this. And Ardyn hadn’t expected a thing which showed how well Noctis did at sneaking around. Because if there was one thing he had no problems admitting to himself, it was that he was paranoid and nosy in his old age. Information was power, after all.

But this- this was a wonderful surprise. And so very very romantic. A red sylleblossom representing love and passion, already hard to get a hold of, that Noctis had grown himself if _waiting for seeds to bloom_ meant anything. A dinner for two, cooked with hard work and, more than likely, a lot of trial and error. But the best thing about all of it, was the proud but pleased smile alongside the red flush on Noctis’ face.

“I suppose this shall be a date?”

“Our first since Tenebrae, technically.”

“And what a lovely one you’ve managed to set up, dear one. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve made.”

Noctis huffed, though the smile was more of a grin now, “Don’t lie. I’m a horrible cook-”

“Which matters not to me when you’ve put your heart into it. Besides you're not nearly so bad as you like to think.”

“Mushy,” the amnesiac muttered as he turned away.

“Only for you.”

“Oh gods, stop it! I’m gonna pass out from too much blood to my head at this point!”

Ardyn chuckled, but obliged. Instead, he went over to a chair and sat glancing at the rest of the room. There wasn’t much difference than when he’d first assigned this room to the prince but there were a few items sitting around that made it more personalized. A photo of them in the snow was sitting atop the dresser, along with the camera he’d bought as a gift right after Tenebrae. The plant that was purchased from the strange couple was hanging from the ceiling in front of the window and on the sill was the rest of the red blossoms. There was a chocobo plush -another gift only last month- settled on the pillows of the made up bed right next to a moogle plush. Besides that it was sparse but still opulent, fitting the rest of the manor’s decor. 

“So,” Noctis started as he sat in the opposite chair. “Dig in, I guess?”

“Eloquent,” he teased. Pulling off the napkin revealed a lovely pastry surrounded by grilled tomatoes and a few assorted vegetables. When the knife cut through the bread he wasn’t expecting a steaming filling of cheese and greens to spill out, but it looked wonderful. Though he really had no need to eat, it was still a nice pastime and there were quite a few interesting flavors he’d yet to try. And Noctis, his wonderful little husband, was very accommodating about his preference for no meat. He’d make them the same dish but Ardyn’s would be filled with vegetables and Noctis would have fewer colors and more meat. It was more work but the boy said he didn’t mind, in fact it was good practice, and _No, Ardyn I’m not going to stop making you food just because you don’t need it. I'm skinny but you're a godsdamn stick_.

“Noctis, this is sublime,” he moaned after the first bite. The bread was perfectly crunchy and offset the softer filling. “I have no idea how you keep setting the kitchen on fire when your food tastes like this.”

“Shut up,” he barked, but there was no bite in the words. 

“Truly, you have outdone yourself this time.” It was most certainly a truth. The last dish they’d had was more of a sweet and had been delicious but this was just amazing. It was a wonder what the boy could do even with cloned food when he set his mind to something.

“You’re such a sap, old man.”

Ardyn snorted and took another bite pointedly. Noctis smirked at him and started on his own dish. It was a quiet affair, the candles and the bright moon their only lighting. There were a few snipes here and there, they just couldn’t help themselves, but otherwise, it was lovely and quite enjoyable.

Then Noctis had to go and pull out a small box, anxiety plastered all over his features. Ardyn set his fork down with a raised brow.

“So, um. We never did it properly. I guess. I mean, I can’t remember but I love what we have more, though maybe we could travel more often? That’d be nice. It’s so cold if I ever leave the manor and-”

“Noctis?”

“Oh, right.” The prince cleared his throat, stood up, and dropped to his knee while popping open the box.

Ardyn felt his breath leave him in a giant whoosh. His chest was tight and warm, his stomach full of fluttering beasts. He couldn’t help but stare. The ring was nothing special. It was in fact not even a normal ring, looking to be handmade from multiple bits of silver wire surrounding a beautiful black stone with rivets of white running through it like levels and veins.

“Ardyn, will you marry me? Er, properly?”

He could never let go now.

“Did you ever have a doubt, Noctis? Of course, I will. Though, I don’t think there will be a reception.”

“Yea, yea, sharks and all that,” Noctis hummed half heartedly. He was more focused on the task of slipping the ring onto Ardyn’s finger. It wasn’t a perfect fit, just the slightest bit too big, but it was good enough it wasn’t going to fall off. He absolutely loved it. “Though, if we really wanted to, we could be unconventional with the witnesses.”

“Oh?”

“I mean, there’s always the daemons.” Ardyn gave a startled and incredulous laugh as Noctis stood up and propped his fist on a hip. “Just imagine we could have a whole army of tonberries. They sit still and would make the best guests!”

“You just want to meet a tonberry.”

“Well, yea. I still don’t see why I can’t if you have control over them.”

“Persistent brat.”

“Overprotective, obstinate bag of bones.”

“Oho, vicious little beast.”

“And you love me just the way I am.”

Ardyn smiled as he stood to meet Noctis in a flurry of heated kisses. “I would not change you even if the Universe itself demanded it of me.”

“Good. Then I demand a honeymoon in Lucis before the Empire strips it of its natural beauty like the savages they are.”


	2. Lima

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of the honeymoon phase. Not all goes as planned but surprises can be good and bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I bring a slightly shorter chapter still filled with lots of fluff! Accept my offering of cotton candy (sweet and fluffy) XD
> 
> WARNING: There is a little bit of explicit content in this but it doesn't get very far. It is slightly important to the story relationship-development wise but can be skipped if you'd like. It's at the very end ;)

A few weeks later, after Ardyn secured a civilian to water Noctis’ plants -because he would be an absolute terror if they died- they were finally ready to travel. His husband had warned him he might have to shadow travel back to the Empire every now and then but they could stay for however long they desired. But, no they would not be buying another house, especially in a Lucian controlled territory. Noctis was sure he could wheedle a house from the man eventually. And a tonberry visit. He was pretty stubborn and he knew the right buttons to press with his ‘new’ husband to get the Chancellor to cave. It was just going to take patience; of which he had in spades when he set his mind to something.

Like digging through ancient books and learning a whole new language to read them just so he could help his husband find a way to circumvent his tragic end at the hand of some stupid king that would never know him. He did wonder where the books had come from, but Ardyn had only smiled and said, “They might have been misappropriated. But plausible deniability, my dear. They’re yours and that’s all that matters.”

Which is true. Didn’t matter where it came from as long as it could help. He still wanted to work on it during the trip but it was much less of a priority (even if he had bugged Ardyn into putting all of his work into his magical storage). No, the priority now was, as ever, making his husband laugh, enjoying their time together, exploring all of the places, and most definitely _consummating_ their union.

“So, my dear, wherever did you find this moonstone. I can't find anything like it. It’s the crown jewel of my collection now,” Ardyn asked as they meandered their way into their imperial lift, where the Chancellor’s cherry red car was already being stored. 

That the small little stone that he’d found had become the crown jewel of his collection sent his heartbeat spiking in pleasant ways. It had been on whim to keep it when he'd first found it; it wasn’t particularly shiny but it was pretty and the multilayered, veiny looking effect of the dark brown cutting through the black was neat. Asking about it had also been on a whim as he’d been buying seeds on the down low. He remembered Ardyn mentioning a stone collection and he was curious if it was anything special. The women’s reaction had been priceless, staring at it as if it was worth a million gil before reverently relaying the legend of the stones and telling him that they were extremely difficult to come across. At that moment, Noctis knew it had to be some sort of sign. A stone used by healer’s in ages past? That was rare to find? It was definitely meant to be and he decided right then and there it was going to be on the ring for Ardyn… he just needed to figure out how to do that.

“Flatterer! Actually found it in Tenebrae by the lake. Remember when I was digging in the dirt by the shore? That’s where it was. I asked about later. There’s supposedly a legend tied to those specific stones about boosting healing powers. They say the oracles of times past used to use them as a focus or something. It’s not even that shiny or anything but I thought-”

“Quite the symbolism,” mused the red-head.

“Quite,” Noctis agreed with a laugh. “So, when are you going to get me a ring?”

“Brat,” the man responded fondly.

“Sure am.”

The ride was much longer than the one to Tenebrae and instead of a dreadnought drop ship it was a cruiser. Much bigger with an actual room, but still no one around which gave Noctis the perfect chance to go sightseeing at the windows.

( _“Did you happen to_ misappropriate _this ship?”_

 _“Perhaps.”_ )

It was gorgeous. He got to see Niflheim in all its snowy glory looking like a pure white gem from above. He saw the floating masses of Tenebrae and the tips of their enormous trees brushing the bottoms of the rocks that were tethered by thick ropey vines. There was even a glimpse of the gorgeous crystal structure of the palace hidden amongst the greenery. Then they were turning over the Sathersea and it was water for miles. He was absolutely enamored and refused to even take a nap despite his husband’s gentle and exasperated pushing.

“You’re going to be exhausted and cranky by the time we land, love. At least take an hour nap. It’ll take about that long to go over the ocean.”

“But what if I miss something!?”

“My dear, there is nothing to see but _water_.”

“But what if-”

“Noct.”

“Another five minutes!”

“Don’t be a child.”

“Another thirty minutes?”

Eventually, it ended up with him thrown over Ardyn’s shoulder as he dragged him to a room. Noctis stripped him of his heavy coat and hat and dragged him into bed in revenge.

They ended up sleeping for three hours instead and Noctis was horrified that he missed the Rock of Ravatogh and were only a few hours out from Lestallum, their starting point to the exploration of Lucis.

“Fine, I’ll forgive you only if you put any plants I buy into my room.”

He had been really excited to see the volcano from above to see if he could make out anything that looked like a body. Ifrit had fallen there during the Astral war, losing his larger body and placing his soul into one of his messenger’s bodies. Ardyn had told him the memories of that time were fragmented because of the sloppy transfer but that was something he had confirmed for himself. Noctis had wanted to see it too, dammit.

Ardyn eyed him warily, catching the devious look in his eyes. “Our house is not a greenhouse, Noct.”

Noctis smirked sharply. “Not yet.”

“One plant a week.”

“Three.”

“One and I’ll buy you a plushie each week as well.”

Ooo… Low blow. He adored the plushies he already had (they were soft and cute and he really wanted a tonberry one but they sadly didn’t exist because they were _daemons_ ) and was determined to start a collection alongside his plants. But a plushie a week… and a new plant a week? Tempting, so very tempting. His husband drove a hard bargain. “Deal.”

“Our poor new gardener,” Ardyn lamented dramatically. “He might never leave our manor at this rate.”

“I mean… wasn’t he a teenager you picked up off the street? It’s probably a good thing if he doesn’t leave, keeps him out of the snow. Or was that your plan? Aw, Ardyn, are you going soft on me,” he teased.

“The indignity,” the red-head deadpanned. “But no, he has a family and a home to go back to right now. He was quite enthusiastic about the pay, though. I’m _sure_ for his family’s sake.”

Noctis had a feeling there had been threats somewhere in that offer to the teen now caring for his plants. He turned a beady stare on his husband but the man only raised an unimpressed eyebrow in return.

Noctis sighed, relenting. “When are we landing?”

Ardyn hummed and turned to the scenery below. “I’ll have to take control probably in the next few minutes or so and we should be touching down by the Vesperpool in about thirty minutes.”

“I thought Lestallum was first?”

“We cannot just park an imperial cruiser in full view of Lucians, my dear.”

Noctis felt a little stupid. There was a biting comment on the tip of his tongue but he held it back with some effort. He didn’t need to defensively lash out, dammit. Instead, he settled for, “Right. I knew that… at least I’m going to get to go sightsee?”

“How do you feel about dungeon diving?”

Noctis turned wide eyes on Ardyn. The Chancellor had never offered anything like that before. He was a little bit protective, which really wasn’t an issue (okay, it was a little bit but as much as it was frustrating it was also endearing), and so didn’t take him anywhere. Noctis wasn’t exactly well-trained after all. He had some muscle memory from some stuff before- though he wasn’t sure what exactly- and he did work on strengthening exercises but it wasn't like he could be reliably counted on in a fight. Not that Ardyn probably needed his help but he would feel horrible just being a deadweight.

“Uh, yes,” he cheered. “What brought this on? I mean- no wait! Don’t tell me. I just want to go.” His grin was on in full force as he bounced lightly on his toes. Don’t look the spiracorn in the mouth after all!

Ardyn chortled, bringing a hand up to cover the smile on his lips that Noct could see reflected in the window. “So excited, sweetling. I remembered how much you liked to explore and how interested in the ruin you were in Tenebrae. There is an old ruin here called Steyliff Grove that we can explore. Most of the place is filled with daemons so we have no worry about monster nests. And it really does have quite the thrilling views, I’d recommend bringing your camera.”

Noctis stepped over and wrapped his arms around Ardyn, burying his face in the man’s shoulder blade. He was so grateful they were able to be together. Despite the small voice in the back of his head that often spouted his own doubts and misgivings… he wouldn’t trade this time for the world.

Two hours later, with the sun close to setting, Noctis stood before the ruined walls of an old underground stronghold. Solheimian in design, it was easier accessed at night Ardyn had explained. Which made Noctis grateful for the three hour nap he’d had. 

“Are you ready, my dear?”

He glanced over his shoulder at the red-head who was leaning against one of the intact walls, golden eyes fixed on him. Noctis scoffed, “Course I am. I’ve got my daggers and my camera.”

“Hmmm. Noctis.”

He turned fully, curious. “Yea?”

“I’d rather you have more than daggers.”

“What? Worried you can’t protect me, old man,” he teased, a small grin working onto his lips.

Ardyn’s face was serious, though. “I’ve been thinking… As much as I’d like to protect you from everything… I’m not omnipotent. Accidents happen. I would feel safer knowing you could protect yourself, so-” In a flash of purple, a wicked red blade, edged in black, appeared in the man’s hands. The guard, a dark metal that hardly shined, was in the shape of two wings, while the knucklebow was another longer wing that was attached to the pommel. The pommel itself was stretched, as if grabbed by a hand and squeezed from clay, with a round glowing gem set into the very end of it. There was another matching gem, set between the two wings of the guard, and they glowed as if from an inner light. “This is Rapier, an ancient blade, much older than even I. I discovered it in my travels to heal the ill in a neighboring kingdom in my early days. ‘Tis imbued with powerful magic even the mundane can wield but it draws a heavy price upon your stamina. It… has been a dear companion and, I believe, shall serve you well.”

Noctis felt his breath knocked from his chest at the gesture. “Ardyn, are you sure?”

The Accursed snorted. “I would not be giving it to you if I was not.”

“But… we don’t even know if I have training-”

“And that is another reason we will be delving into the depths today. Daemons make wonderful training dummies, and Steyliff is filled with a range of them. Some easier to handle and others much more difficult. It will be the perfect test before we wander any lost corners of Lucis.”

With heated eyes, Noctis accepted the blade holding it easily in one hand despite the longer length. It was surprisingly light and there was a warmth to the metal that did not come from Ardyn. It traveled up his arm and settled tightly in his chest, almost feeling as if he’d found a long lost friend. 

Determination dripped from every word as he looked back up at his husband. “I won’t let you down.”

“I never doubted you would, sweetling. Now come, turn your light on. It’s almost time.”

They spent the next hour, as the light slowly drained from the area, getting him used to his new sword. It practically sang every time it cut through the air, and despite the cost Ardyn had mentioned, he hardly felt anything when he sent a fireball hurtling through the ruins open courtyard. The blade glowed brightly after, a script of the ancients etched with red light upon it. All in all, he was ecstatic and absolutely ready for this new adventure.

* * *

No one would ever believe that the scruffy man wearing odd clothes and meandering Lestallum with an unassuming brunette by his side could ever be the missing Prince of Lucis and his enemy, Chancellor of Niflheim, Ardyn Izunia. Illusions were wonderful things, not that he used them too often on himself unless the situation called for it. But they were quite handy to stroll around Lucis territory with their royal teen right under their upturned noses.

“Oh! What about this one?”

He glanced at the, admittedly good quality, hat that his lover had picked up. Honestly, he didn’t need a new one, he’d be able to fix it on his own just fine, but the boy was still guilty of accidentally slinging a fireball in his face in Steyliff. “It’s good quality… but… a little silly, don’t you think?”

It had polka dots for Ifrit’s sake. They were small and fashionable on the hat band but still…

“Got it. Not a fan. Ok! What about this?”

A gorgeous red but it would utterly clash with his hair. “I don’t think-”

“This one?”

“Noctis,” he sighed. “I think the first one works,” Ardyn finally capitulated. It was the most innocuous one. More brown than his original black, it was still richly dark and the band was a plain black.

The amnesiac cheered and turned back to the vendor to complete his purpose. Really, the silly boy worried too much. His hat was barely singed and he hadn’t even been hit by the magic; it was just a glancing blow. But at least it taught him to be more aware of his surroundings when slinging magic every which way in battle. And, he had been doing quite well in the dungeon too before that whole mishap. Then Noctis had gotten quiet and overly apologetic. Eventually, probably an hour or so later, Ardyn had finally whapped the back of his head in quiet reprimand and with a quick pout they both went back to normal. Well, mostly normal considering Noct’s enthusiasm level had dropped considerably even if he did still retain excitement for all the new sights, experiences, and monsters.

The Quetzalcoatl had been quite the challenge and in the end proved to be a little bit too much for the amnesiac -not unexpected really- and Ardyn had had to step in and strike it down. Despite his expectations, Noctis hadn’t been at all sad about that, instead it had only fired him up more and he was determined to have Ardyn train him so they could go after other monsters. Which he was more than happy to do. He hadn’t lied at all when he gave Rapier to his little husband. Despite his immense power, Ardyn was not all powerful and definitely not all-knowing, so he couldn’t be there for everything and he would rather Noctis be able to protect himself. Luckily, the prince had prior training that could be worked with even if he couldn’t quite remember it; muscle memory was wonderful sometimes.

“So! What say you to taking on some hunts in the area?”

Ardyn sighed at the eagerness in that voice. He had the feeling this was going to be a commonplace thing. “I thought you wanted to explore Lucis, not exterminate monsters for our honeymoon?”

“What better way to explore than going out into the wild and making gil from hunts on the side!”

He wasn’t wrong exactly and if that’s what he wanted to do, the Accursed would follow. With all the excitement and eagerness, his lover was almost comparable to a puppy and it was quite adorable. But just like any pup they needed lots of supervision so they didn’t hurt themselves by getting into something stupid.

“Of course, dear one. But for the day, why don’t we just explore Lestallum more, hm? We only just got here yesterday and there is so much to see.”

Noctis eyed him, knowing exactly what he was doing, but agreed with a snort. “I still need to find a new plushie anyway.”

They walked slowly, taking enjoyment in each other’s company and Noctis stopped at many stalls, especially in the crowded marketplace with fresh foods. After finally extracting themselves from the overwhelming crowds, Noctis commented, while munching on a green skinned apple, “I don’t think I like crowds.”

“And what makes you say that?”

There was another crunching bite, then, “They make my hands shake and my chest tighten. It hasn’t happened before because we haven’t been in a crowd as large as that before. I didn’t really notice until we’d left and I was able to relax.”

Now that he’d said it, Ardyn did notice the faint tremble running through the boy’s pale limbs. With a worried frown, he took Noctis’ hand (and it still needed a ring-) and pulled them into a small side alley. “Do you need a moment?”

Noctis let the hand with the apple drop to his side as he looked at him with large blue eyes. 

“Can I just… have a hug?”

“You never have to ask, Noctis.”

And then there was a prince buried in his chest, head tucked tightly against his neck. The trembling got worse and there was a muted sob that tugged on his heartstrings. Ardyn made a mental note to avoid major crowds from now on. He hadn’t noticed if the Prince of Lucis had an aversion to crowds before but the boy had been pretty isolated even going to public high school. He started humming old hymns again, knowing this was a surefire way to calm him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize,” Noctis mumbled, his one free hand digging into the back of his coat.

“Neither of us did. No harm done but a lesson learned for the future, hm? We’ll just be more careful about crowded places and if you ever feel like that, let me know. I’ll be a buffer.”

“Yeah…”

“Perhaps we should head back to the hotel for now. Noon is a busy time and I’m sure the crowds will die down later and we can come back out. You might appreciate a nap?”

Noctis chuckled wetly and pulled away. “You’re such an enabler. I thought you hated me sleeping all over the place.”

“I don’t _hate_ it but I'm not entirely fond. But it helps you immensely so I suppose I will just have to suffer loneliness while you dream your life away!”

Noctis whacked his arm before taking another bite of his apple to hide his smile. “I’d like that.”

It was on the way back that they found it. Noctis immediately crouched, eyes wide in simple glee as he carefully set his apple core to the side and held out his fingers. The kitten hissed and squished itself further into the corner it had been helplessly mewing in.

“Noctis,” Ardyn started slowly before the boy shushed him and shuffled forward. The Accursed had the worst feeling that they were going to be leaving here with the animal.

And he was right. Thirty minutes later, wrapped in Ardyn’s own scarf (he was weak for those pleading blue eyes dammit), the tiny kitten was situated in Noctis’ arms. It was still growling but wasn’t lashing out anymore and Noctis was, thankfully, completely distracted from his earlier panic attack. They reached the hotel with no further disturbances and settled the kitten in the middle of the bed in the nest that Noctis quickly contracted from the blankets.

“Will you take a look at the front paw,” his husband pleaded. “It’s all… floppy and you know way more than I do about healing.”

“My dear, I healed humans not animals.”

And yet, he still ended up looking over the small animal after casting a weak Sleep status on it. Noctis' power of persuasion over him was dangerous and yet he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I see… The poor thing was more than likely left behind because of this leg.”

“Well, what’s wrong?”

He shifted the little thing on it’s back and started gently massaging the twisted leg, trying to get a feel for what could be causing it. It was still young enough that it could truly be anything, the size also wasn’t helping. But he vaguely remembered something similar to this in a baby that lived in an outskirts village so long ago.

“I think,” he mumbled, pausing to rerub below the elbow joint, “the problem is in the bones- or well, the lack of them.”

“Wait, what?”

Ardyn blinked and glanced over at the incredulous tone. “I believe the kitten was born without bones in the right front leg below the elbow joint. I could be wrong, as I said, I don’t work with animals, but I have dealt with something similar before.”

“I mean, you can be born without bones? That’s actually a thing?”

That startled a laugh out of him. “My dear, have you not read any of the medical texts I gave you?”

Noctis shifted, sending a little frown at the snoozing kitten. “I did,” he hesitated. “But only ones that dealt with Scourge and the body.”

That lovely (but still foreign) warmth filled him again. Noctis worked so hard for him. But he shouldn’t be ignoring other knowledge in pursuit of the prophecy. “Knowledge is power. Perhaps, you should take a break on this honeymoon and read other books that I’ve brought for you instead of working on the prophecy.” Seeing the obstinate look on the boy's face, he hurried to add, “It and I have been around for a long time. There’s truly no rush at the moment and I would like you to enjoy your time instead of fretting over things that can be dealt with later.”

“I guess you’re right,” Noctis agreed. “But really? No bones?”

“‘Tis a common problem, along with many others, for people who breed too close within their own family. A brother and sister pairing could perhaps produce a person with warped features or missing bones very easily.”

The amnesiac gagged and waved his hands in a stop motion. “Gross. Don’t wanna hear it.”

“But you’ll read about it instead?”

“Knowledge is power,” Noctis sighed. “So, is the leg going to be a problem?”

Ardyn tilted his head in thought. It could possibly lead to further complications with the animal’s health, though he had no idea what kind they could be. There was the option of amputation but he would need to find an animal healer for that and there weren’t very many outside of the big cities. It’s possible there was one here in Lestallum but he’d have to check around. Though, amputation always came with problems of its own. Instead of voicing all this, he settled for a smart, “It could.”

“Ardyn…”

“Noctis,” he returned in the same tone.

They were not adopting this kitten.

Ugh. He didn’t believe that lie either. 

Thirty minutes later Ardyn was back out into the city proper searching for a vet and cursing himself. He knew as soon as Noctis had seen the grungy little thing in the alleyway there was no way they were leaving it. He wouldn’t fool himself into thinking it wasn’t staying either, no matter how much he might protest. Just like plants and plushies, cats seemed to be a major hit with the boy. Considering how cat-like Noctis could be on a regular basis, was it really such a surprise he’d find kin with a little -unfairly adorable- mongrel?

It took the better part of an hour but eventually, he was able to find a well-hidden house that offered animal healing assistance. It stank to high heaven on the outside but the inside was fairly clean which was a good sign.

“Hello, can I help you?”

A young girl, perhaps a little younger than Noctis was peeking through a side door at him.

“Yes, I have a cat that needs to be looked over. I was hoping someone could help?”

“Oh! Da can help with that! Did you bring it with you? Can I see?”

Suddenly, she was in his face, eyes sparkling, and Ardyn had to resist the urge to shove a claw through her throat in reaction.

“I did not,” he purred smoothly, sidestepping her. “I wished to find a place first before bringing the poor thing.”

The girl visibly drooped but nodded and went to fetch her father. A few minutes later, a wispy man with balding brown and grey hair and strange circular glasses shuffled through the doorway. “You have a pet needs seeing to?”

“I do indeed, my good man. I wished to talk to the fellow who runs the place first. You, I presume?”

The man nodded slowly, shooing his daughter back through the door where she’d been creeping back in. “I am Hojo, that was my daughter Rayleigh who helps out every now and then. What exactly are you in need of?”

“My partner and I recently found a kitten in the streets. I have reason to believe it was abandoned due to a birth defect, all of the bones in its right front leg are missing below the elbow joint. Other than that it needs a general checkup and whatever care instructions you can impart with.”

“I see,” the man muttered, adjusting his glasses. “Come back in an hour. That’ll be my last appointment so we’ll have plenty of time.”

“My thanks.”

Instead of responding, Hojo turned, muttering under his breath, and disappeared through the doorway. Ardyn took his leave before his excitable teen daughter could pop back out and bug him. Utilizing the shadows to quicken his pace, he arrived back at the hotel within a minute only to find Noctis passed out with the little kitten curled into his neck. He paused for a moment, indecisive, before finally placing his new hat to the side and climbing onto the bed as well. Neither occupant stirred even when he lifted Noctis head onto his lap and shifted the kitten down onto the boy’s chest.

He would let them rest for now.

* * *

“I’m going to call him Tonberry.”

“Unoriginal.”

“Hm. You’re right. Oh! What about Mog?”

“Isn’t that a cartoon moogle and your plushie’s name?”

“Ugh… names are hard. Pug?”

“Why?”

“Oh, come on! That one wasn’t that bad! What about Cait Sith?”

“Where did you even get that one?”

“Odin!”

There was an exasperated sigh.

“Fine. Fine. Cecil?”

“That- that isn’t bad,” the Chancellor conceded.

“Urgh! Wait! Really?” Noctis grinned in success. He looked down at the little furball still tucked up in Ardyn’s scarf, fast asleep. The poor thing probably really needed it, though they would definitely have to get it some food right now. Maybe he should actually buy a rod and go fishing as a nature journey? Cats like fish, right? But that would be for later. Marketplace first. Or well, Ardyn would go to the marketplace and Noctis would stick to the outer edges because just thinking about being so close to too many people made his chest tighten uncomfortably.

Whoo boy, that had been a nasty surprise. He’d noticed when it first started, like there wasn’t enough space, like it was getting harder to breathe. But Ardyn had been watching and he hadn’t wanted to worry him. So, he put on his battle mindset (newly discovered in those long incredibly satisfying hours at Steyliff Grove) and pushed through. Until, they were away from the crowds and his adrenaline dropped drastically leading to a breakdown. Not fun.

“So, my dear, besides his leg and some malnutrition Cecil is perfectly healthy. The decision rests on you as to what will happen to him,” Ardyn said as they took another alleyway to go around the main road.

“Well, amputating at his age is too risky. And Hojo said it’ll be fine to keep the leg as long as someone is watching it. Maybe a-a splint or something could be made to keep it straight?”

“I suppose we will be the one to keep an eye on it,” his husband suggested dryly.

“Now, you’re getting it,” Noctis snickered.

“Wonderful. Saddled with an eight week old kitten and a brat. Whatever shall I do?”

“Deal with it.”

“Alas, I already am.”

Noctis snorted and shuffled his scarf bundle. “Sounds like a you problem.”

“Crassly spoken. You aren’t a problem at all, my dear. That thing you carry on the other hand…”

Okay. Ardyn won. Damn him and his silver tongue. In response to his husband, he, totally maturely, stuck out his tongue. And then it was snatched and he squawked in shock -but will forever deny he made any noise of the sort- stumbling to a halt with his tongue hanging out of his mouth awkwardly with Ardyn’s calloused fingers holding it in a firm grip. The man himself was wearing a self-satisfied smirk.

“Best be careful where you leave this, sweetling. I’ve heard it could easily be taken advantage of.”

And, oooh, didn’t that just send his body tingling pleasantly. He couldn’t even make a quip back either, because the Chancellor still held his tongue and was now lightly pulling him forward by it. Rude. He followed the motion, his surprise turning into a petulant glare, until he was close enough to Ardyn’s face that the man easily hooked a hand around his neck to yank him into a kiss at the same moment he finally let go of Noctis’ tongue. It was heated and wet and felt utterly fantastic. It was so nice he almost got lost in it until there was a protesting chirp between them and Noct pulled away, startled. Cecil was looking around blearily and his heart melted at cuteness overload.

“I have a feeling I’ll have to fight for your attention in the future,” the older man chuckled, using the hand still on Noctis’ neck to card gently through the back of his hair as he stepped to the side.

Breathily, the amnesiac laughed, gazing back at the fluffball that had closed his eyes again. “You’ll lose.”

“We’ll see.”

After their mini make out session, and a quick romp to the market where Ardyn bought some salmon from a vendor that claimed it was freshly caught that morning, they settled back in their hotel room and Noctis set about pulling out the handwritten instructions from Hojo. They were pretty simple.

As an approximately eight week old male kitten, Cecil was safe to be neutered but considering his malnutrition it would be better to wait until he was a healthy weight. With a twisted leg, and his smaller size, it was more than likely he had been abandoned by the mother so, really, Noctis hadn’t stolen any tiny cat children from fretting cat mothers. Phew. 

The instructions were just basic care and vaccinations that needed to be done if he wanted to have the cat… well, anywhere, but especially around other animals.

Cecil, a few minutes after they’d settled back in their room, had decided to finally wake up and was glaring around the room with scrunched green and blue-flecked amber eyes. The small bundle was placed in the middle of the bed while Noctis sat up near the pillows (and Ardyn was over by the small kitchenette gutting and cutting their new cat food). Eventually, the kitten tumbled from it’s safe cocoon and stumbled around the bed curiously, peeking over the edge, before returning to the center. Noctis watched with half an eye, still reading the small cramped writing from their vet on recommendations for future visits and estimated costs for vaccinations and possible surgeries.

Then, Cecil decided it was time to check out Noctis. Carefully, and full of flinches and stiff rising fur, the little grey striped kitten worked his way over until he was sniffing at Noctis’ toes (because like hell he was going to leave his boots on when he wanted to be comfortable). The amnesiac had the strongest urge to twitch them just to see what the little fuzzball would do. He glanced over at Ardyn who was watching with an indulgent smile, stripped of his jacket and pleated sleeves rolled to his biceps. There was mischief in his golden eyes that sent a zing straight through his heart. Noctis twitched his toes.

Cecil jumped about a foot in the air and scrabbled to catch his footing as he dove back into his scarf hideaway. The amnesiac wheezed quietly, not wanting to startle the poor thing more but unable to stop himself from crying at the hilarity.

The rest of the day was spent with adorable moments galore as Noctis finally wheedled the kitten into eating and eventually playing. Cecil passed out again around the same time the sun went down.

“Well, you've certainly a natural affinity with cats, my dear.”

“Don’t you dare say it’s because I’m like one.”

The red-head’s lips twitched but his response was mockingly offended. “Why, I would never. To even suggest as such-! I feel betrayed by my own heart.”

“Shove it.”

There was a moment of content silence between the two, Noctis carefully petting the top of Cecil’s head to get the kitten used to touch and Ardyn just watching, before the older man brought up going back out into town. Noctis hesitated. There was Cecil to think about for one and swarming crowds for another, but he did truly want to explore more. Lestallum had so much to offer in the way of stalls, interesting sights, and new delicious food. 

“I am fine with either,” Ardyn hummed. “We are here to relax and enjoy ourselves, not force activities to happen.”

The Chancellor placed a light kiss upon his forehead and Noctis felt himself relax. Now that his husband didn’t seem to want to go out, Noctis was more than happy to stay indoors. They could just cuddle and relax, maybe watch some TV since he couldn’t recall ever doing so. Ardyn didn’t really have much technology besides lighting and heating in house and it was perfectly fine but… he was sort of curious about everything. Especially phones because wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to text the man while he was at work?

“Let’s put on some TV and cuddle,” he murmured, pushing off the bed to strip.

“What a grand idea!”

And so the two of them changed (Noctis into some comfortable blue striped pajamas and Ardyn into a burgundy set that went surprisingly well with his hair) and huddled in the bed, Noctis’ head on Ardyn’s chest with Cecil cradled on Noctis’ stomach. It was extremely comfortable as he lightly dozed, watching the cartoon of a Marlboro and a Moogle. He could try to use the time to consummate his union but… he was just so warm and tired. And, oh, he hadn’t taken any naps today, had he?

* * *

They spent two more weeks staying at the Leville and leisurely wandering around Lestallum during the slow hours. Cecil was already more rowdy and playful -and surprisingly nimble with only three and half legs- though he wasn’t entirely fond of Ardyn. Which was perfectly alright considering how much the little beast loved Noctis. He was able to get a few head rubs before being swatted but his love was treated to purrs, face rubs, and an exposed belly and it made the boy ecstatic. He wound up buying a cactuar plush for his husband and then commissioning a tonberry plush from the same woman. Of course, he refused to tell Noctis exactly _what_ he had commissioned which resulted in a pouting session. Ardyn would rather he get the plush than try to meet a real one, he had the worst feeling he would try to keep it.

But perhaps, the good times had come to an end and it was time to move on because instead of enjoying his time, Noctis had begged the use of the maps and books again. As much as the Accursed appreciated what his lover was trying to do, he’d rather Noctis be focused on the here and now, enjoying his time instead of wasting away in front of dusty pages looking for answers that not even Ardyn could find.

“Noctis,” Ardyn spoke. The boy made no motion that he had heard him. He repeated himself with no answer. The Chancellor sighed, grabbing the boy’s face to tug his attention away from the book on his lap. There was resistance at first, his eyes trained unerringly on the old Solheimian words, before he gave in to the soft pressure and turned with furrowed brows. Ardyn took the opportunity to plunder the boy’s soft mouth.

“Ardyn!” Noct gasped pulling back with laughter on his lips but the older man just chased him, peppering kisses all over Noct’s alabaster skin. “Do I have your attention now,” he purred.

“Maybe.”

“Oh? Then I suppose I shall have to try harder.” His fingers clenched around Noctis’ jaw so he could tug him back over.

“No! No,” the amnesiac laughed. “You’ve got my attention. What’s up?”

With an overly dramatic sigh, Ardyn flopped onto the bed -startling Cecil who was currently snuggled up in the pillows- and cried, “I am left bereft of my sweet Prince’s company. He hath turned from me for” -an overly exaggerated- “books! The shame. Perhaps he has chosen the life of the scholarly hermit?”

“Man, I got demoted again,” Noctis chuckled. “But no, I don’t think books as my only company would be preferable. I just-” 

The smile fell from his lips and his blue eyes fell back onto the tome in his lap. Ardyn watched for a moment before sitting up and gently taking the book to set it aside. “I understand, my dear. I _do_ appreciate what you are doing but now is not the time for it. I will repeat myself as many times as needed to get it through your thick skull- I have been this way for millenia and it will not be changing any time soon. I would like to enjoy our honeymoon without all that getting in the way. There’s no deadline.”

Not if he had any say in it. Bahamut could suck his scourge ridden toes.

Actually, no. He didn’t want the Astral anywhere near him. It could suck an imp’s toes.

“I just want us to be happy.”

“Noctis. Please, sweetling? Listen. I _am_ happy. In the here and now. I would like to enjoy it for a while longer. Would you grant me that?”

Noctis was looking at him, something undefinable swimming in his eyes. Slowly his lips turned upwards in a smirk and the undeniable mischief that surfaced sent a shiver down Ardyn’s spine. 

“Of course, _Your Majesty_.”

“You utter tease,” he breathed. Noctis’ smirk turned into a grin and he shifted, tossing a leg over Ardyn’s hips. It sat him directly over something else that also wanted the boy’s attention (very eagerly).

“I think we should celebrate our last night in Lestallum, don’t you?” The tingle that was caressing his spine turned into a blazing heat as he sucked in a sharp breath. His hand latched onto his prince’s thighs to help ground himself, focusing on the soft cotton of the pajama pants. “I want to complete our union officially.”

Ardyn’s brow raised, feeling something oddly off about the way that Noctis said that but he brushed it aside when his boy leant down to start kissing at his neck. Obviously inexperienced, Noctis’ teeth scraped along his throat every once in a while but it only served to make everything feel even better. Ardyn let out a groan that rumbled his chest when the prince sat back directly over his erection. His eyes fluttered as he gazed up at the perfect boy above him. Noctis was staring at him with an open mouth, curiosity fully twisting his features.

“That felt that good?”

One of his hands drifted up to caress Noctis’ cheek. “Of course it did, love. How about… I show you instead, hm?”

Noctis grinned. “The two-thousand year old virgin wants to take control, huh?”

“Oh, my dear, I may not have done anything penetrative with anyone but that never stopped me from getting other experiences.” He flipped them easily, making sure it was an okay position for Noct’s back -and ignoring the giggling from the boy over Cecil’s subsequent indignant cry and disgruntled moving-. “Let me show you exactly what I’ve learned.”

He started with stripping the prince of his shirt so he had access to more skin before he started marking a ring of hickeys around his collarbone while his fingers started working on the pants and his own garments. Noct’s hands flailed for a moment, jumping from the bed to his shoulders a few times before settling behind his neck under his hair. Ardyn pulled away, Noctis reluctantly releasing him a moment to strip both of them of their underwear before diving right back in to finish the work of art, splashes of red and purple in a gorgeous necklace. He thought for a moment about leaving some bite marks but thought better of it. That was something they’d try another time as Noctis hadn’t shown any inclination towards it before.

Surprisingly, there was little noise from Noctis, maybe a few breathy gasps but nothing close to a moan. He glanced up, dragging his tongue up the small column of neck until he was working on an earlobe. It only elicited a huff and fluttering eyes and jittery hands that couldn’t figure out where to settle on his back. Hm.

“Noctis.”

“Hm?”

“Noctis,” he purred, voice dropping a few octaves filling with a gravelly rumble. That got him a nice gasp and parted lips, at least. “Are you okay?”

Blue eyes opened and blinked at him quizzically. “What- yeah! Of course I am. I want this.”

He hummed skeptically. “Then perhaps I’m not working hard enough.”

“Then try harder, I guess. Old man.”

Ardyn snorted and decided it was sound advice. Perhaps a different tactic was in order. Noctis wasn’t nearly hard enough for this to be enjoyable for him yet. Perhaps he should just dive right in? Foreplay normally helped but it didn’t seem to be doing much for the pale teen.

“As you wish.”

With a few tugs Noctis was divested of his briefs and Ardyn’s own soon followed. He paused, sitting back on his heels to take in the red flush as the boy stared at him, eyes flitting everywhere as if unsure where to look. With a chuckle he shifted off the bed slowly much to Noctis’ protests.

“Hush, sweetling. I need access. Spread your legs for me.”

The small flush that had been there before turned fire red and started spreading down his neck onto his chest in blotchy patches. His legs which had been slightly clenched after having his underwear removed slowly fell open, thighs twitching. His hands came up to cover his face as Ardyn hummed and leaned over to blow lightly on the boy’s half-hard member. There was a twitch but not much else. Perhaps he was just too embarrassed?

Ardyn frowned, hovering between the legs of his little King of Light pondering which way he should do this. He wanted their first time to be memorable but Noctis didn’t seem to be responding particularly well to warming up. 

“Are you just gonna hover down there all night?” Noctis voice was raspy, his face still hidden between his fingers.

“And if I was?”

“I- well, I guess I’d have to do something about that, wouldn’t I?”

Ardyn snorted, his breath ghosting over the sensitive inner thigh making it twitch. “Can I not just admire this wonderful spread before me?” Noctis mumbled something that vaguely sounded like ‘that good?’ but he wasn’t sure so he didn’t respond. “Cat got your tongue, my dear?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be putting your dick in me?” This was much louder and firmer.

“How vulgar,” he rumbled. “But I suppose if that’s what you desire… One moment.”

With a tinkle of shattering crystal light he summoned oil he had chosen specifically for this moment. Scentless but extremely smooth and lasting, it was perfect for the first time. He spread it over his pointer finger generously before gently bringing the finger to circle Noct’s rim. The boy’s whole body jolted and there was a harsh exhalation of breath. Ardyn settled a hand on Noctis’ thigh and asked again if he was okay. It took a few moments but he responded in the positive, toes curling and uncurling against Ardyn’s sides.

It was but a few minutes to work in the first finger -sadly still failing to get much of a reaction- and another few to get the second in. After that Ardyn was on a mission to complete his self-appointed task of making this pleasurable and memorable. The first checkpoint; the prostate. It took a bit of wiggling, scissoring, and a third finger before he finally curled his fingers just right, eliciting a short choked scream from the amnesiac. It made him pause and glance up, because that did not sound like a pleasure noise at all. If Noctis had seemed stiff before out of embarrassment, now all of his muscles seemed to have locked up and were shivering under the strain. Despite the now stiff dick, the rest of his body was projecting extreme discomfort.

The Accursed pulled his fingers away slowly and wiped them against his stomach before crawling up the bed and situating himself so he could pull Noctis into his lap easily. There was a curious chirp from the pillows and Cecil blearily opened his eyes to stare at them a moment before deciding it was fine to go back to sleep. Ardyn snorted and focused back on his prince, his fingers running through black silky strands. 

“What are you doing,” Noctis muttered, his fingers twitching spasmodically over his eyes. “We’re not done.”

“You were not enjoying that so, yes, we are done. We could revisit it in the future but for now relax.”

Instead, the obstinate boy did the exact opposite, stiffening further. If he kept up like this he was going to end up with nasty knots in his back again. It was bad enough they were tensing up as hard they were now. Any longer and they would cramp and require a massage. He dropped one hand to the teen's hip, using it as leverage to start lightly massaging as much as he could reach with his thumb.

“It was fine. Just unexpected. I’m fine.”

“Noctis,” Ardyn growled, “You were in pain. _That_ is not supposed to cause serious pain.”

There was a moment of incredulous silence before, “Wait… it’s not?”

The red head blinked, motion pausing as he stared down at blue eyes peeking through pale fingers. “You were-” He cut himself off, taking in a deep breath to reorder his jumbled thoughts. There was something tugging at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t pin it down just yet. “What exactly were you expecting going into this,” he queried carefully.

“I, uh, I don’t know. I think I remember reading somewhere it hurts the first time. And, well, people save their first time for marriage, something about virginity being important. So, I guess, I was expecting pain but it didn’t really hurt until you did that last thing.”

Ardyn closed his eyes, thinking over everything _wrong_ about what was just said, trying to decide first what to address. “First of all, if done correctly, there is only minor pain or none at all. Second, where in the world did you read that?”

Noctis' back had somewhat relaxed, thankfully, but he was still stiff and the red flush was further spreading down his chest. It would have been adorable if not for the subject of the conversation. 

“Somewhere in the texts you gave me.”

“Those are archaic,” he groaned. “Even as old and outdated as I am, I know it’s not like that. And even back then people were not so stiff about virginity unless they were nobility.”

Noctis fingers covered his eyes again as he muttered, “You're not outdated.”

“Thank you for your vote of confidence, sweetling, but I am. Most technology still astounds me-”

“Is that why we don’t have phones?”

“...Yes. Anyway,” he continued, talking over the eruption of giggles. “You could have just talked to me about this, you know. Communication is important and I thought we already knew this.”

Slowly quieting from his fit, the prince sighed, “I do. I just… I don’t know. Wanted it to be perfect? To make you happy? The consummation of our marriage to complete our union,” he hummed sounding as if he was quoting something. 

Something clicked into place at the repetition of the odd wording. Had that been the only reason Noctis was trying for sex? As a _completion of their union_ ? Did Noctis even _want_ sex at all?

_~~**Why would** **he want you**? LIARBETRAYERSILVERTONGUEACCURSEDPLANETBANEMURDERER ~~ _

Ardyn slowly closed his eyes and focused on Noctis; the softness of his hair as he carded his fingers through it, the light smell of oak scented soap, the much calmer breaths he could feel inflating and deflating the boy’s lungs against his own chest. It… had been a while since he’d heard their whispers. He’d quite forgotten how insidiously they twisted inside his mind, seeking any crack they could to burrow in again. Without meaning too, his hand clenched tightly in black strands until Noctis made a noise of protest, his hands falling to gaze upwards. 

Blue, such a beautiful deep oceanic blue, calmingly hypnotic, and just what the Chancellor needed to shake himself of the daemons again.

“My dear, you need not be anything but yourself. If you have no inclination towards sex then we will not have it,” he whispered softly. It truly wouldn’t be an issue, either. He had gone a long time, especially after being awoken by Verstael, in abstinence. Noctis’ presence was more than enough for him.

The prince frowned, eyes squinting at him and Ardyn smirked in return. Noctis sighed. “But, isn’t that what you have to do to tie a union completely?”

“Who says so?”

“Wha-um, I don’t know… I guess… well-uh.”

“There is no rule that explicitly says we must. ‘Tis just an archaic tradition to gain the Six’s blessing and I’ll have none of that, if you please,” he chuckled.

“Oh,” Noctis exhaled softly. “So, we don’t _have_ to?”

“No.”

“What if I want to?”

With a contemplative tilt of the head, he responded, “Then we shall try again another time. When we are not so clouded by today’s happenings. We also do not have to jump right in, love. There are many more ways of pleasuring the body than just straight up sex. If you truly wish to, we can explore other avenues to find what you do and do not like.”

“But what about you… right now- you’re still-” Noctis cut himself off, wiggling a bit as his eyes turned downwards and the fading flush returned with a vengeance.

Ardyn snorted merrily, pleased at this new flustered side of the boy taking the place of the persistent brat. “Don’t worry about that, dear. It’ll go away. Now how about we plan the next step in our honeymoon?”


	3. Neurotic Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis makes a new friend and worries a little about his missing past while Ardyn almost has a meltdown over his conflicting feelings and guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello peeps! I'm back with another Chapter~ It's sooner than I wanted to post it but ya'll deserve it and I figured I'd squish it with my Ardynoct gift fics I've posted today (please feel free to check them out!). So without further ado-
> 
> The husbands left to their own devices!

Noctis reached up to give ear scratches to the kitten huddled on his neck. The windows were up, the AC on to combat the baking heat of the desert -and how the hell was it still so hot at the beginning of Spring? It was ridiculous-, as they drove towards the Rock of Ravatogh. Though Ardyn had petitioned for Galdin Quay, and Noctis agreed, he really really wanted to stop by the volcano first. It was one of the major reasons he had pushed for Lucis in the first place.

Luckily, it was only a little bit out of the way, but still in the same general direction. Unluckily, it would still take two days to get there driving and that was with no pit stops. Which, with his back and a tiny playful kitten was not an option. So, instead they planned a route.

River Wennath was the first stop since he’d expressed an interest in trying to fish. There was a haven; Mynbrum Haven, he could camp on while Ardyn returned to Niflheim to complete some business. He had protested at first, wanting to camp with his husband, unworried about the daemon presence with the man around. Eventually, he agreed, though. It  _ was _ one of the stipulations for a longer adventure after all. One night camping by himself -with Cecil, of course- wasn’t too bad, especially since they’d agreed they would camp another night together.

Next was a quick pit stop at Burbost Souvenir Emporium before they were in for the longest bit of the drive. It was going to take all day (with some rest stops to stretch their legs) and probably cut into the night before they reached their next stop; the base of the Ravatogh trail. That would be the night of camping together he was promised -and he was very much looking forward too-. After that would be a half day drive up the trail until they got up to Verinas Mart and settled in the caravan.

Now, that’s about where they stopped planning because Noctis liked to take things as they came and Ardyn was all too happy to follow along. It was just more fun than sticking to a tight schedule anyway; too much stress that way. Not to say he didn’t have any ideas about what he wanted to do. That first half of their stay he was keen on seeing if he could get any hunts since he’d passed those up in Lestallum in favor of settling in with Cecil. He still wasn’t too sure about where he was going to leave the kitten, or if he could possibly bring him with, but it wasn’t too big of a worry at the moment. Instead, he was more focused on the excitement of it all, ready and raring after a wonderful therapy massage and that illuminating conversation he’d had with his husband.

To think, if he’d just said something instead of trying to do it all sneakily… Oh well, hindsight and all that. He was just relieved that he hadn’t had to go farther. Noctis had expected some pain but whatever Ardyn had done had sent hot pokers straight up his spine and completely whited out his vision while his skin crawled unpleasantly. Yea, not an experience he’d like to repeat. It was interesting to know there were alternatives if he was interested (which he was because despite his relief he still felt guilty about leaving Ardyn hard while his own member softened pretty quickly) because he’d never really thought about it before. When Ardyn asked him later, as they were tidying the room a bit out of courtesy, if he’d ever thought about sex or been interested he honestly answered that he hadn’t. Well, besides the union thing. It just… wasn’t something that needed to be on his mind and he felt no urges or anything of the like. With a small smile, Ardyn had explained that it was rare but not unheard of for people to lack urges of lust. Some of those people still had sex for the enjoyment of it and others were completeley repulsed. Noctis wasn’t sure he fell totally in the repulsed section. It had felt good but embarrassing, before there were fingers pressing that pain button in his ass. Still, it was nice to know he wasn’t a freak.

But there were still lingering thoughts every now and then about his family. Was this the reason they had become estranged?

“Ah, and here we are,” Ardyn hummed, pulling the car over into a parking spot and pulling Noctis from his roaming thoughts. The music tape he’d bought in Lestallum turned off at the same time as the engine.

“Great! Let’s get going! I wanna test that new rod we picked out,” Noctis grinned, already shoving his door open.

“Patience, Noctis,” Ardyn laughed, slowly pulling himself from the car like the scruffy lumbering giant he was.

“Nope. Don’t have any of that,” he replied, settling Cecil on the ground, the leash in his hand connected to the harness they’d bought for him. It was slightly unconventional, the store owner having to make adjustments for it to fit, but he was happy with it. “Come on, Cecil, you can do it!”

The kitten glared balefully up at him but did take a few steps forward before planting his rear on the sun warmed dirt. He chuckled and scooped him back up, settling him around his shoulders easily. If this kept up, the cat was going to grow into his personal heated scarf. 

He was totally okay with that.

It was quite easy to meander over the top of the large flat rock and find a perfect spot to set up right in front of the haven (closer than the pier was at any rate). Ardyn eventually, after much loud pestering, made his way over and pulled the newly purchased camping gear out and set it down. 

“I’d love to help you set up but,” the man shrugged with a small smirk as Noctis scoffed.

He absolutely knew it had to do with the daemons not being able to get close to havens but it still made for the perfect teasing opportunity. “Yea, well, guess your old bones just aren’t up to it. Gotta leave it to the youngsters now!”

“Ah, If you aren’t careful you might end up in the river with the fish you’re so intent on catching.”

As if the man would actually do that. He wouldn’t. Would he? Was it worth the risk? Probably.

“Pft. I’d like to see you try.”

Ardyn tilted his head down, hat covering his eyes. It did little to hide the cat-like grin stretched across his lips, though. There was a flash of purple, followed by the tinkle of shattered glass, and suddenly he was submerged in cold. He flailed for a moment, precious air escaping his lungs, until his feet found purchase and he pushed himself to the surface. Luckily, he was in a calmer part of the river even if it wasn’t all that shallow.

“You utter bastard,” he laughed, wading to the rocky plateau easily.

“Perhaps you’ll learn not to tempt me in the future.”

“Now where would be the fun in that?” With a small grunt he pulled himself up and out onto the rock right by his chosen fishing spot. His plain white shirt, bought in lestallum to combat the heat, was completely soaked through but he didn’t really mind. It dulled the heat a little. The only bad part was the way his jeans stuck heavily to his legs and rubbed roughly now that he was out of the water. Not to mention his cap, also bought in Lestallum to keep the sun off his face, almost floated away in the current. He was quick to snag it and plop it, soaked and all, on top of his dripping hair.

Cecil, safely tucked in Ardyn’s arms purrowed at him, wiggling until he was set down. The gray kitten waddled awkwardly, still not used to the harness, making his way over with a quick harumph. Noctis laughed at his picky little furball, flicking a few water drops onto the cat as he stopped about a foot away. It earned an entirely too amusing betrayed face.

“Well, thanks for the surprise bath but I’d rather get to working on setting up my rod! C’mon and help me!”

“Oh, I thought the young person was handling that?”

“Don’t be like that,” Noctis chuckled. “You're pretty competent… for an old man.”

The banter continued as they pulled out the newly purchased equipment. Honestly, he was only half focused on bantering, it was more reflexive now than anything, and Ardyn seemed to notice. The Chancellor hummed pleasantly, wrapping his arms around Noctis’ middle and resting his chin on top of Noct’s head. The amnesiac grumbled about it but made no move to remove the given affection. Though it was rare in the beginning, Ardyn was reciprocating and offering first more and more, which Noctis made no move to discourage. He was still an affection leech after all.

He focused instead on assembling his new Air Stagger Rod and equipping the Fomalhaut Reel. It was recommended for beginners and more serious fishers so he figured it would be perfect if he did actually enjoy fishing like he thought. He’d gotten a few lures, five in total for all of the fish that were supposed to be native to the river; two of which were good for two different species of fish. Finally it was all together and something about the way the rod sat in his hands felt right. He grinned down at it.

After that it was just about shaking Ardyn off so he could set up his chair close to the water. Cecil, already over the water betrayal, was wandering between his feet -more than likely deliberately dragging the leash to tangle up in his legs so he would take it off- making a nuisance of himself. Noctis just basked in their presence happily, setting everything else up that he’d need.

“Hm, I’ve left some books out for you,” Noctis had a feeling it was  _ not _ the ones with legends and myths he’d been sorting through, “If you need them. But, unfortunately duty calls, my dear.”

Noctis pouted. “You aren’t even going to stay for one fish?”

“No, Noctis. You already knew this.” Ardyn was giving him that half-amused half-stern stare that was becoming more commonplace. 

His pout turned into a smirk. “Fine fine. But, I’m not saving any food for you.”

“Well, don’t be hasty and try your first attempt. We wouldn’t want you to have food poisoning now would we? Whatever would you do out here all alone and suffering?”

“Rude.”

Ardyn’s smirk was rude too but Noctis just sniffed and turned back to the pole in his hand, weighing it to figure out how he was going to cast it. Within moments, Ardyn’s hand settled briefly on his head and the man leaned down to place a chaste kiss to his temple. “Stay safe. If you need me, call my name, hm?”

“Can’t believe you’re gonna hide a daemon around here and not introduce me. Hmph.” Still, he returned the gesture of affection with a kiss to his stubbled jaw. Then Ardyn turned around and walked behind the haven. Noctis watched him go out of his peripherals, hands fiddling with the fishing wire and hook. After a few minutes he let out a sigh and turned to Cecil who was stretched out across the heated rocks, belly towards the sky. “Silly thing,” he chuckled fondly.

Leaving the kitten to his sunbath, Noctis meandered over to the chair he’d set up right at the edge of the rocks. He glanced at the rod again before taking a deep breath and casting. The line flew surprisingly far, splashing into the water with a kerplunk. Huh, that was much easier than he’d been expecting. In fact, it felt extremely familiar. Maybe he had actually fished before he lost his memories.

Surprisingly, the thought sent a shot of warmth up his spine that curled in his chest. This was something  _ he _ did, something he  _ enjoyed _ . He’d gotten it back.

With a happy huff of breath, he plopped onto the chair and settled in for a wait, keeping a surreptitious eye on Cecil. The first fish caught him by surprise, jerking his attention from the grey kitten with a shot of adrenaline that made him grin. Following long lost (newly regained) muscle memory, he fought the fish all the way up to his rocky post. It looked like a small Cherrycomb Trout, though he’d have to double check later. For now, it wasn't big enough for dinner so he threw it back into the water after successfully retrieving the hook. He recast and plopped back down, allowing the adrenaline to fade into a happy buzz.

Cecil meowed at him, knocking against his leg. “You liked that too, huh? You wanna see the next fish?”

The kitten chirped at him before settling under the chair in the shade. 

It wasn’t too long until he had his next bite, maybe seventy minutes or so, but he could already tell it was much bigger. The fight was much longer, the blood pumping through his veins getting faster and faster as the minutes dragged on. Finally he could see the agitated flopping and Noct decided then and there, this was going to be dinner. It was much larger than the other one and put up a behemoth of a fight. Honestly, he would have been worried about his line if he’d gotten anything less quality.

Eventually though, his patience won out, and with the blood pounding in his ears, he pulled the little monster ashore. An Argus Salmon, the biggest fish in the river, just a little over the entire length of one of his arms. Surprising he’d hooked it on a bait not normal for it’s species but he wouldn’t complain about that. Noctis couldn’t help but let out an exultant cheer followed by a breathless laugh. That was an amazing second catch. 

Cecil stretched his head out and blinked at him. Noctis snorted but obliging brought the salmon forward for the kitten to sniff. It flopped in his hands suddenly, smacking the cat in the face before settling again, gills working uselessly. Cecil jumped, slamming into the top of the chair, startling himself further before skittering out, claws scrabbling along the rock face as he darted away.

“Aw, shit! Cecil, wait! It’s okay!”

Dropping the fish further inland, he darted after the gray streak trying to keep the kitten in sight. He didn’t want Cecil getting lost or somehow tangled because of the leash.

“Cecil,” he cooed, clicking his tongue a few times. “C’mon, it’s okay. The fish didn’t mean it!”

He searched fruitlessly for a few minutes after the kitten had disappeared past a large bush, straining his ears for any sounds of his missing cat. As the time dragged on longer, his worry grew exponentially. What if Cecil had been found by monsters? Gobbled up? He only had three working legs and no matter how well he moved with those legs, he was still itty bitty. Oh gods… he’d gotten his cat killed on the first day out of Lestallum. He was the worst owner ever.

Tears stung the corner of his eyes and breathing became labored but he refused to stop looking.

But what if he was going the wrong way entirely? What if Cecil’s leash was stuck and made him easy prey? What if-

There was a loud protesting yowl and he swung around -he  _ had _ been going the wrong way!- and called out for the kitten again. Another yowl much closer. There was also something else, though; it sounded like another voice?

There was some muttering then a loud yelp followed by a few curses and another of Cecil’s protests. Noctis burst through some bushes ignoring the small scratches he was getting in favor of catching up to his kitten before he darted again.

“Cecil,” he cried in relief, staring at the wriggling kitten settled within the bulky mass of a man’s arms. 

“I’m guessin’ this little spitfire is yours,” the man grumbled, wincing at the claws still sinking into his arms just above where brown leather gloves ended.

“Yes! Oh, thank you so much. He got startled and darted off faster than I could grab him.” Noctis dithered a moment but eventually stepped forward to remove his cat, reaching for the filthy dangling leash in the man’s other hand. “You can set him down. He’s gonna be grumpy for a bit more before settling.”

The stranger snorted but did as ordered, lightly dropping the kitten onto a protruding rock after digging the tiny claws out of his flesh. “Well, if that’s grumpy I’d be terrified if’n he was hissin’ mad.”

Noctis snorted and replied without thinking, “Oh, you should be. This little terror is the worst of all daemons.”

The loud guffaws were a bit startling but pleasant. 

“Good one, kid!”

The lingering worry in his chest, largely relieved by finding Cecil, unwound the rest of the way. His furry friend was safe, if still disgruntled and flopping in his harness, and the man who’d caught him seemed alright. He hadn’t meant to joke like that, not really comfortable with most people he’d found, but this seemed fine.

“T-thanks,” he chuckled, fiddling with the leash and keeping it slack while his dusty kitten flip flopped this way and that trying to squirm out of it. 

“Hm, whatcha doin all the way out here on your lonesome? Don’t look like you’ve got a sword or nuthin, either.”

“Oh! Uh, well, I was fishing. My sword’s still with my stuff- Actually, I should get back. Ugh, the fish is probably dead by now. Early dinner,” Noctis muttered. He shook his head and refocused on the burly man in front of him. “Sorry for the trouble and thanks again. It was nice meeting you, uh-”

“Libertus,” the man snorted. “Friends call me Libs. Not that I’m doubtin’ you or nuthin’, kid, but I think I’ll walk you back. I’m out here on a hunt, see, and without a weapon I’d rather you not run face first into an Alphagin on the way back to your fishin’.”

“Oh, sure.”

It wouldn’t be hard to have the man as company. Though nervous around new people (especially without Ardyn as a buffer), he did actually want to expand his tiny circle of friends. It literally only included his husband at the moment. Libertus seemed kind and it wouldn’t be a hardship to have a ‘guard’ to chat with.

“Are you a hunter then,” he asked, crouching down to smooth the ruffled hair on his kitten’s head. Cecil grumpily flicked his tail but allowed the touch. Good, that meant he would be okay for the walk back.

As Noctis hoisted the kitten onto his shoulder, Libertus responded, “Nah. Only helpin’ ‘em out. I’m Kingslaive.”

Kingsglaive? Wasn’t that one of the military sects in Insomnia? The city he’d run away from?

Suddenly, he wasn’t quite as at ease anymore.

Unfortunately, Libertus picked up on it almost immediately. Thankfully, he only gave a small quirk of the lips and snickered, “Don’t worry ‘bout it, kid. We ain’t that scary. Just normal people like you.”

Noctis forced a smile onto his face, hoping it looked natural (it didn’t). It wasn’t that Libertus being a Kingsglaive bothered him. No, it was more a matter of whether he could recognize Noctis or know someone himself who could. And he still had a whole heaping mass of complicated feelings on the matter of his life before. On the one hand, he was quite happy where he was. He enjoyed his life with Ardyn even despite the stressors that came with it. (After reading some history and seeing reports from both sides, not to mention some of the horrible stuff Verstael got up to, Noctis would quite readily admit he was terrified of the Empire. It had been a shock that he’d worked to overcome for weeks after hearing that Ardyn had actually been the cause and drive for most of the shit that had already happened. His husband had immediately withdrawn as fast as he could without drawing suspicion and was currently working on subtly sabotaging certain scientific efforts.) There was still a lingering emptiness in the back of his head, a nibbling ache in the middle of his chest, that constantly spewed questions and doubts at him.

_ Was this something he had done before? What was he like before? Did he have friends? Was he missed? _

So, to distract himself, he took to scrubbing his fingers through Cecil’s fur as he turned back to the way he thought the haven was. It all looked the same to him right now, with his earlier panic and current uneasiness. Still, he needed to move. 

“Aren’t Kingsglaive supposed to be on the frontlines?”

“Hmph. Yea. Somethin’ like that. King took us in when we had no home so we go fight for him and all that rot. Honestly, ever since Niflheim has stopped advancin’ we Kingslaive are gettin’ a bit of a break. Much needed in my opinion. We were gettin’ run ragged with all the shitastic daemon’s the Empire is startin’ to pull outta nowhere.”

Noctis blinked at the slew of information, trying to process it quietly. Not that he’d doubted Ardyn, but it was good to hear some of his quiet efforts to stymie the daemon’s and Nifleheim’s power was doing something worthwhile.

“So, you’re on vacation?” He couldn’t help but blurt it out to try to fill the awkward silence as the two of them walked on. Libertus seemed just fine talking so, hopefully, he would answer.

“Hm. Sorta. Still technically on duty if stuff happens but I’m on standing orders to keep a lookout. So, figured I’d do something useful and help out the locals.”

Another silence and still the area wasn’t looking too familiar. Great. He honestly didn’t want to have to ask and look stupid but he also had a fish sitting on some baking rocks and his stuff out there for anyone to walk off with. Rapier, he was especially worried about because of how precious it was.

“Do you, um… know the area well?”

“Not especially but I got a map tucked away. We lost?”

Noctis sighed and turned with a nod to face the soldier. “I was panicking trying to find Cecil and…”

Libertus just guffawed again. “Don’t worry, kid. I gotcha. You said fishing, yea? So you’re probably down by the pier at River Wennath? Good. Cause that spot is totally marked which makes it that much easier.”

It ended up being only a ten minute walk back and they’d been headed in the right direction which was a relief. In the interim, Libertus filled the air with chatter about his home, Ghalad which had been thrashed by the Empire. Besides a quick mention of that, though, most of the focus was on local cuisine and how much he missed it compared to Insomnia. “Givin’ up our good heritage to please the ungrateful,” he grumped. “The spices were to die for, kid! But everyone here is too wimpy!”

He learned about a few new recipes he could try (he tried very hard to commit them to memory so he could write them down) and then suddenly they were back at his camp and the sun was barely lower than it had been before. Had it really been so little time since the whole fiasco had started?

The fish was still lying where he’d dumped it, still and very much dead now, and everything else was quite the same. Except he had someone else with him, someone not his husband. He glanced over at the man, taking in the features he’d neglected to truly see before.

Libertus was a larger man, though he stood about as tall as Noctis himself. With a closer look, what could be mistaken as fat in a glance (or panic induced obliviousness), was pure muscle. He might be larger boned or have a little extra padding but there was no mistaking that Libertus was built. Which was probably a byproduct of fighting on the frontlines in a neverending tide of MT’s. Though he was not wearing any uniform, he did have on sturdy clothes; a thicker long-sleeved shirt, heavy canvas pants tucked into knee high boots, and leather gloves. There were also a few sheaths attached to the crackling brown belt fitted around his middle.

Despite his nerves, Noctis was truly curious about Lucis and he did have someone here that could answer some questions…

Before he could change his mind, he blurted, “Would you like to stay for an early dinner before your hunt?”

Libertus blinked at him, a harsh assessment chilling his dark blue eyes, before a grin appeared again as he agreed. Noctis let out a heavy breath and settled in for some careful wording to sate his curiosity.

* * *

Ardyn hummed, signing the last bit of built up paperwork and dropped it on the corner of the desk for his secretary to find in the morning. With that out of the way, he turned incorporeal, loath to see or speak to anyone at the moment. He could, of course, pull up the mask he’d been using for decades but… without the scourge influencing his (now much reduced) insanity, it was very tiresome to uphold. Best not to deal with anyone unless there was a reason. 

Like Ravus. He most definitely had a reason to bug the man.

With an inaudible step, his body pulled back together, first a large cloud of black miasma, then the shape of a man, and finally all the fine details of humanity. He let out a short breath at the unpleasant feeling of the scourge trying to dig its claws back in. For all the usefulness of the powers he currently had, using them was exceedingly dangerous to his mental health. Noctis ripping the scourge’s control away certainly proved that.

With a small tsk and a mental note to be more careful (indolence could lead to ruin), he carefully reapplied his mask and stepped forward to shove open the door of Ravus’ office. With the slow stalk of a predator -his limp non-existent in the face of a threat- he bared his teeth in the parody of a grin and entered the room.

Ravus, already quite used to -though it still rankled him  _ he could see it _ \- Ardyn’s dramatic entrances, just frowned and slowly set down the pen, focusing his full attention on the Chancellor. A smart boy he was; quick learning. In the past the efforts to ignore Ardyn were futile, only provoking the man into more theatrics and subtly hostile threats until he’d gotten what he wanted. Now, the white haired disgraced prince paid him full attention, antagonism and death glares included.

“Ah, Commander, always the workaholic! I could visit your office in the dead of night and yet you’d still be here slaving away. Such a commendable work ethic.”

“Chancellor,” Ravus grit out, very obviously displeased he was once again invading his office. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Why to hear the news, Commander. The Emperor is quite displeased with his army. He wants to know  _ everything _ .”

It was not exactly a lie. Iedolas was rather incensed with all the grave happenings going on around him. A failing army, lessening daemon presence, Lucis winning back some of their territories. Ardyn felt rather proud in a twisted sort of way that without his help, Niflheim would not ever have been able to get close to Lucis. On the other hand, it made Verstael extremely suspicious and knowing exactly how much of a tattletale he was, Ardyn was quite happy to distract him with that stupid mechanical worm project. It was going to fail. That was not in doubt. The essence that powered the ridiculously huge machine was scourge which was completely under the Accursed’s control. Still, Verstael knew no such thing and it was so very easy to lie to the scientist. The man was nowhere near as sharp as he had been even five years ago. So, Verstael easily accepted the explanation that he was focusing more scourge into that project of his instead of using it for war. The war was already close to over anyway, so what was the point?

Ardyn just made sure that any MT that was in that lab performed the exact same as before, unlike the ones that were being deployed.

“I will submit my reports come morning-”

Ardyn sighed loudly, shoulders slumping as if disappointed. “There is only so much I can protect you from, Commander. Perhaps, it was an understatement on my part, but the Emperor is  _ furious _ . He does not want to wait till tomorrow. Already he is frustrated that General Glauca is stuck in Insomnia, unable to give information on the movements of Price Noctis while on his… pilgrimage. But now we are losing territories? For shame. So, give me news. Troop movements, battle plans, new ideas to get around the barrier.”

With clenched hands, the military commander stood slowly, opening drawers and pulling out handwritten reports. He dropped them on the desk, his icy blue eyes burning like a wretched flame. Though, Ardyn smiled pleasantly, his eyes too held no warmth as he picked up the papers to rifle through them.

Ravus Nox Fleuret was a competent man, there was no doubt, but he was also a man working at only thirty percent capacity. He was bound by his obsessive need to protect the Oracle, his homeland under constant surveillance, and his own thirst for misguided vengeance. Ardyn had quite enjoyed playing with him before; watching the helpless fury build into self ruinous destruction. 

Seeing it now, with clearer eyes, only made him sick. His stomach churned at the thought of the man he had become. The man he had  _ allowed  _ himself to become _. _ To keep his fingers from trembling, he dropped the paper on the desk and threw his hands in the air.

“You have nothing!”

“There is nothing-”

“Wrong,” Ardyn cut in, hands dancing back down to shoulder level. “There is always something. Perhaps… a suggestion?”

Ravus’ hands curtly moved behind his back, his stance becoming stiffer, ready to weather any blow.

“No need to be so stiff,” he chuckled. “I’m only helping you keep your precious sister safe as I promised you so long ago.”

This time the man’s lips twitched into a thin line. There was an awkward silence before Ravus finally responded, “And what is this fantastical suggestion of yours?”

“Why, using troops to find and hold the tombs, of course.”

It was a perfect solution, one to keep both countries occupied while he was on vacation with his small husband in his homeland. Niflheim did not know where most of the tombs were located and would spend time and manpower finding and holding them. Lucis, if they wanted to keep their precious lie of Noctis being on his pilgrimage, would need to respond, likely with the Kingsglaive that were now getting a break from the war. That would also slow hostilities on the frontlines even more as Ardyn kept malfunctioning more and more MT’s.

“I suggested that months ago,” the commander bit out, malice coating every word. “The moronic prince would have been captured by now if the Emperor was at all inclined to stop full frontal attacks. Yet, we’ve seen not a hair of him.”

Ah, yes. His detestable and frankly stupid hatred of Noctis. That was another thing Ardyn used to constantly use against Ravus. It was something that burned him to keep quiet about now. Noctis was not stupid. He could be quite silly but the boy was smart and did not deserve the disparaging remarks Ravus was bound to spew on this topic. Thankfully, Ardyn had years of self-discipline and could hold himself back from blurting something stupid but he could not quite stop the pinching of his facial features. It took but a moment to smooth them out again but Ravus had already seen his unusual slip in character and was watching with a pointedly sharp gaze.

“Timing is key, dear Commander. What did not work then by yourself, will work now with assistance, hm?”

“And, what, exactly do you want?”

He knew exactly what the man meant but his mask would not have so quickly given in. “Want? Oh, Commander, all I want is to help you and yet time and time again you are so… suspicious of me. I wonder why that would be?”

“Chancellor…”

Ardyn turned his attention back to the papers, noting the full inkpot with a quill settled in it sitting above them. Bad form to leave it in there but what would today’s society know and care for the old world. Truly? They would not. It was an oddity to be studied and used for weapons, not respected as it should have been. Though, a lot of practices had been to honor the Astrals and he was quite against that so there were mixed feelings on the matter.

“Hm, yes?”

“You have never offered help without either threatening it or wanting something in return. As you have not done the first- what do you want?”

Ardyn snorted at the frank statement. Ravus could always be counted on to be as blunt as he could respectfully get away with. 

“I could give you threats if you like? I’m sure the lovely Lady Lunafreya could use some company. She’s ever so lonely in that high tower you’ve built for her. Perhaps a visit could be arranged?”

At this, Ravus snarled, arms bulging as he fought to keep himself from strangling the Chancellor. With a furious huff, the commander turned away, stalking to the window that looked out over the palace grounds. Ardyn watched how his fingers clenched together turning white, keeping his arms from separating behind his back.

“Very well, Chancellor. I’m sure the Emperor will be  _ pleased _ . My best regards as always… And stay away from my sister.”

He glanced back down at the papers he’d spread on the edge of the desk, noting one of them was on how many ships were currently in or missing from their fleet.

“Oh, he will be very pleased indeed,” Ardyn murmured. “And you’ll get all the credit as it was your idea in the first place.” With a deliberate slowness he grabbed the open inkpot and flipped it onto the papers after setting the lovely quill aside. “Pity he won’t be getting your reports in the morning, though. I’ll be sure to pass on it was only an accident.”

“What?”

Ravus spun around but it was already too late. Every document had at least several large splotches, but most of them were completely useless. Perfect. He gave a cheery grin at the noise -quite like a teakettle- the commander let out, before sauntering out of the office.

With that tedious bit of interaction out of the way, he set off towards Iedolas’ office, shoes tapping loudly on the marbled floors. Honestly, he was not much for excessive opulence (though indulging could be nice every now and then) so the walk through the palace was always quite quick and straightforward. There was really no need to take in the affluent statement made with every stone and pillar. If one thought the hallways were worth gazing upon, the people would be salivating to see the throne room and Iedolas’ personal office.

The man surrounded himself with all his wealth and he let everyone under him know it. It was one thing to pretty up a throne room meant for the dignitaries and public complaints; it was quite another to bedeck a personal office with gleaming gold and white. Unnecessary but distracting. To anyone who would speak to him there, it made a statement of power but it also worked to divide attention so the elder Emperor would always have the upper hand in discussions. 

It only made Ardyn huff and pull his hat further down over his eyes. Though the stone did not burn him like the sun would, white was very reflective which made it almost blinding.

Thankfully, there was no one for him to meet in the halls except the few MT’s. With a quick knock on the heavily carved wooden door meant to represent the old glory of Solheim, the Chancellor stepped into the grandiose room. He let out a tired breath and tried not to think about how he preferred Ravus’ sparse militaristic style instead.

“Ah, Ardyn,” Iedolas greeted, stepping away from the reinforced wall to wall, ceiling to floor windows. He was swathed in the bright light of the reflecting snow and stones, throwing his own form into shadows except where the white of his robes was reflecting the light even brighter. “You’ve not been around lately. I was beginning to wonder…”

“Oh, My Emperor, I didn't mean to cause any upset. I’ve been working to find the common causes of malfunction in our precious stock.”

“And your findings so far?”

Though he could not see Iedolas’ face enough to ascertain any expression, he could hear the vaguest hint of annoyance in his tone. Considering how tightly the man normally kept those signals under wraps- Iedolas was actually quite cross with him. Hm. That wouldn’t do.

“It seems to be something in the process we aren’t catching. Each troop we’ve lost had the same marker noted in their files. It was a small note, nothing that would normally pull attention so it took a while to track. Ah, but… unfortunately there were quite a few others marked with this as well.”

This wasn’t a lie either. Ardyn has specifically looked for something that could be a commonality before slowly retracting the scourge in those MT units so they crashed. That had taken the longest time really because, while he had full access, he was not especially great at working with technology. Sure, he could figure it out with patience and time but he usually had much more interesting things to be doing, instead.

It was silent for a moment.

“I see. Recall all useless units and have Verstael work on correcting the process.” Iedolas moved forward until he was settling in his cushy rolling chair, elbows on the desk, and chin on his steepled hands. “We are too close to cracking their shell to have such setbacks.”

“Of course,” Ardyn purred. “Though while this is being done, perhaps we could focus our officers on something more worthwhile?”

“And that would be?”

“Why, our dearest High Commander has made the recommendation we focus efforts on the prince. He  _ is  _ outside of their protection at the moment and his capture would facilitate our success.” Here he made certain to be careful with wording. If there were any hints that they would lose, Iedolas would try to verbally lambast him. He didn’t have the time nor inclination to deal with a royal snit at the moment as he still had one other stop to make before he could get back to his precious lover.

“I see. You support him then.”

It wasn’t a question. For him to have brought it up at all obviously meant he was showing at least a little support and the Emperor knew it.

“On rare occasions Commander Fleuret will allow his tactical competency to surface. Tis why he has gotten so far, no? Besides, it will take time to regrow MT’s; time better spent on a more easily attainable goal.”

Iedolas closed his eyes in contemplation, a frown stealing across his wrinkled lips. After a minute of silence he finally spoke, eyes still shut, “The Prince of Lucis would make a fine prize. Very well. Until our numbers are refilled we will hunt for Noctis Lucis Caelum. Ravus will be informed of his control over this project on the morrow.”

Ardyn gave a short bow and made a mental note to create a way to hold his glamor over a long distance. Perhaps it could be done with a focus? A stone or metal? Or perhaps… a ring.

“Ardyn.” 

He glanced back up. Iedolas was staring at him with tired eyes, the skin beneath them sagging with age and exhaustion. It twisted something in his chest. It was a sharp reminder that while Iedolas had been twisted -by him no less- the Emperor was still human. He was allowing his mask to bleed into his thoughts and actions. Ardyn  _ was not _ and  _ would not _ be that man again; he could not allow himself to be. Noctis still came before all others but… people were not a means to an end.

Iedolas was an old man. An old grieving man still trapped in endless nightmares that was trying to secure the world for the people that would follow. It was… just a shame that Adagium had taken advantage and turned grief into vengeance. It was a path he had put the man on and not one he could stop. All the Chancellor could do was sit and watch the trainwreck happen in real time while trying his best to preserve what made him happy.

_ He did not deserve it. _

“Sir?”

“Have we secured a line to General Glauca yet?”

Ah. The fearsome general that he’d created armor for. The first in a line of traitors to the Lucian King, bribed by the Empire with a better life for his people. Another pawn in his endless game of warmaking.

Ardyn swallowed harshly. He really wished he could have Noctis by his side. After the relaxation of the last few weeks, today was a bitter reminder of the past havoc and ongoing chaos he had wrought in his crusade to spite the astrals. All the bubbling doubts and self-loathing were frothing to the forefront of his mind and he wrestled them for control. Niflheim’s Chancellor could not afford to show weakness. Despite Iedolas’ frailty, he was still a born and bred noble that ruthlessly used everything to his advantage.

“Unfortunately not. It seems with the dwindling hostility Lucis only grows more cautious. Glauca's last words were a complete blackout until further notice. I suppose they believe we have something nastier in reserve for them and all high ranking officials are, hm, unavailable.”

Which… wasn’t entirely wrong. Another of Verstael’s projects, much less idiotic than the worm, was a nasty bit of work that wasn’t getting very far without his help. A good thing, honestly, as two or three of them could wipe out an entire continent on their own. They were to be saved for a final invasion but Iedolas had asked about their readiness just recently to replace the broken MT’s. Even with Ardyn’s help, though, the monsters were still months away from completion. Without it, they would take years more work. And if he completely opposed it, they would be getting nowhere fast.

And the Niflheim Empire wouldn’t be getting anywhere without Glauca either. The man had been invaluable for intel (because Ardyn, while he could saunter into Insomnia whenever he wanted, refused to set foot in the place unless he was trying to burn it down or follow up on the prophecy child) and led many of the crippling strategic attacks either in person or by planning them. 

“Unfortunate,” the Emperor muttered, his fingers twitching beneath his chin. Blue eyes opened to stare thoughtfully into gold. “While Ravus shall be in charge of the hunt, you will supervise and extract all malfunctioning units quietly. Keep an ear to the ground, Chancellor. I want word from Glauca as soon as possible.”

“But of course.”

Strange to put him so blatantly in ‘charge’ of a military operation when it fell outside his normal purview but he would make do. It would just mean more check ins than he’d previously thought. Completely doable even if Noctis was going to be a little upset. He would understand, his little husband always did.

_ Would he really if he knew the whole scope of everything? If he knew the gritty details? _

“Anything else, My Emperor?”

Iedolas snorted and waved him off with one hand. Ardyn gave another short bow and backed out of the room. As soon as the heavy door closed he let out an exhausted sigh. Couldn’t he just run away with his boy to another Continent? There were plenty out there that these kingdoms had yet to explore. They were only a small part of Eos after all. They wouldn’t have to deal with the war, with his mistakes, with the stupid prophecy that demanded both of their lives. They could explore and fight monsters, see new sights and learn new cultures.

There would be no draconic sword hanging above their heads by a string.

He sighed once more, pushing his hopelessly idealistic thoughts aside, and set out for the manor. He needed to check on the plants and his little gardener. This time he kept human shape, wary of his maudlin thoughts and the scourge’s influence, instead trudging on with a racing mind full of uselessly circling thoughts. They plagued his every step and even the snowstorm he walked into did nothing to quell them. Already the sun was set, leaving him plowing through the darkness and freezing temperatures.

Logically he knew that a lot of his decision making had been compromised by daemonifying Ifrit; probably even before that as he hallucinated Somnus mocking him quite often. But that didn’t stop the rash of negative emotions his past mistakes incurred. No matter if he’d been clear of mind or not, that he’d done what he had was enough to make him a monster. Much as he’d like to blame everything on the scourge, Ardyn knew himself well enough to see that the base desires had already been there. The damnably sentient virus had only magnified existing feelings. 

So, he was left with cold logic vs. uncontrollable feeling. In the end, most of the problems of today  _ were _ his own fault by direct action and the fault of the Astrals by indirect action. Logic dictated to him, he should not feel responsible for anything other than allowing himself to be manipulated in such a way. Emotion dictated that everything was his fault and he deserved only to atone. Both of them were conflicted on the subject of Noctis. He did and did not deserve happiness. He should and should not keep the prince with him. 

It was easier when he was around the teen. All of these conflicting desires and thoughts were thrown out the window to focus on the King of Light. His very presence was a balm that he was already hopelessly addicted to. As much as Ardyn would love to say he would leave the boy to protect him… it was already impossible. Since the day Noctis dropped to his knee with a handmade ring, Ardyn’s heart was captured, held securely in those compassionate pale hands. He did not deserve Noctis but that would not keep him away. He was but a pitiful shadow desperately clinging to the warm light offering a security he had not felt since his teens.

Ardyn shivered, not from the cold, but the almost obsessive direction his thoughts were taking. He loved Noctis and, he scolded himself, would do what would make his husband happy whether that included him or not. He could always watch and pine from the shadows after all. There was no better protector than one that struck from darkness.

Still, just the thought of Noctis not wanting him around built an ache in his chest that was difficult to ignore. So the sight of the manor through the flurry of white was a bit of a relief. The front lights were out, expected but still it made his lips purse, thoughts immediately back on Noctis leaving him. He would never again have that welcoming light ready to say hello if that happened.

The ache in his chest tightened unbearably.

Today really was a terrible day for his brain to start spiralling out of control. He just wanted to get back to his boy.

With a huff, he unlocked the front door, and stepped lightly inside. Everything was already dark and cold, meaning his chosen gardener had gone back home already. Pity. ‘Twas one more stop he did not want to make but needs must. Noctis wanted to make sure the family helping them was taken care of and he would do his due diligence with a check in at the very least. 

But first, he had items to deposit and instructions to leave out.

The cactuar plush was settled on the bed with a small tinkle of purple. Then he pulled the two chosen plants out of the armiger along with a small heating lamp. It was quite a simple set up on the small side table between the sill with the other plants and the bed. A small round cactus with a red blooming flower on top was settled next to the Ironwood sapling. The lamp had a bulb that emitted no light, instead releasing enough heat to keep the desert plants from dying in the cold weather.

Under their pots he tucked the handwritten instructions from Noctis. They were quite simple as desert plants were much hardier than normal ones and required much less water. He just had to make sure the gardener would not overwater the poor things. 

Lastly, he taped his own note to the bedroom door about the new plants and did a quick check around the manor to make sure everything was still where it rightfully belonged.

Satisfied, he set out to the little hovel of apartments his gardener lived in. It was a bit of a walk, nothing at all like from the palace, but still a fair distance. The teen and his family lived in the lower districts, also known as the slums, and was relatively close to the outskirts. Close enough that Verstael had poached a few ‘unmissable’ people in the area for certain experiments. Here the snow covered the filth and rot most days. Luckily, today, with its fresh flurries, was one of them. He didn’t want to think about the kinds of people that lived here… the kind he used to go out of his way to heal…

Marching up to the third floor using the outside stone steps, Ardyn determinedly ignored his annoying thoughts and focused on the current goal. After a curt knock on the wooden door -hardly built to keep out the cold- it opened to a wary pair of brown eyes.

“Madam,” he smiled, tilting his hat in greeting.

The little girl’s eyes widened and she backed into the small flat with a screech of ‘Da!’. The door closed with a thump. The Chancellor let out an amused breath.

It took only a minute before the door reopened and a man with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes was checking outside. Upon seeing who exactly was standing in the buffeting winds and snow, his face slackened in surprise before he opened the door fully and gestured inside, mouth working as if he was trying to say something.

Eventually, once the door was closed again, the man spoke apologetically, “Chancellor, my daughter meant nothing by it. We don’t normally get visitors… and, um, I suppose welcome to our humble abode.”

“Oh, she’s such a sweet thing. What’s her name?”

The man looked rightfully wary but it wasn’t as if he would deny the Chancellor of Niflheim. “Selphie. I’m Kunsel, her father. May I ask… why you’re here?”

Ardyn grinned pleasantly, sweeping his hat from his hat in a practiced gesture as he gave a slight bow. “Always a pleasure to meet the newest generation. As for my visit, I would like to speak to Hope.”

Kunsel’s eyes went wide again and Ardyn could see his jaw clenching. “I see. My nephew isn’t- isn’t in trouble is he?”

Had the boy not told his family what he’d been doing? Oh, well that was delightful but sort of counterproductive. Maybe he’d thought Ardyn wouldn’t be able to actually find out where he lived? How utterly naive.

“Not at all. In fact, he’s been doing some work for me and I thought I’d check in.” He ran a surreptitious eye around the tiny living space. There was a hall down the way that led to two more doors but it was cramped and the walls were stained with water leaks. In this room was a threadbare couch with a pillow on one end and a thick patched blanket thrown over the back. The small kitchenette he’d seen was behind him but it hardly looked better than the rest of the place. “It’s not been long but he’s done an admirable job.”

Kunsel himself looked no better than his surroundings as his brown eyes stared in disbelief. His clothes were warm but seemed to be very worn, and there was stubble on his cheeks and bags under his eyes.

Well, if nothing else, Ardyn had picked well with his choice of gardener but… coming here might have been a mistake. His thoughts were already in dangerous territories and seeing the lowest of society had never been good for his healer’s heart. People like this never wanted sympathy either.

“I see. Hope is sleeping, but I can get him for you.”

“It would be appreciated.”

Kunsel disappeared through one of the hallway doors and only a moment later a head of brown hair peeked out. When she noticed him watching, she meeped and ducked back into the room. There was a low murmur of voices and then Selphie was peeking again. This time she didn’t hide, instead staring almost challengingly into his eyes. What a delightful child!

The staring contest didn’t last long, as a moment later Kunsel walked back out, patting Selphie on the head as he passed, and Hope followed. The teen was blinking blearily but there was still that sharpness that Ardyn had first noticed when he’d recruited him. His strawberry blonde hair was mussed and his sweater had multiple holes.

“Hello, Hope.”

The kid stared at him with wide blue eyes, taking a moment to realize the man that had threatened his family if he so much as touched anything he wasn’t supposed to was standing in his living room.

“Chancellor,” the boy croaked.

His fading grin came back full force. “I’ve a few new plants for you to care for but they're quite different from the rest. Do be careful with them. And, since you’ve done so well so far, I suppose an added tip will be a good incentive to keep it up!”

Before anyone could process what he was doing, Ardyn had stepped forward, almost shoulder to shoulder now with Kunsel, plucked up Hope’s hand and dropped a large wad of currency in his hand. Then he turned towards the door and sauntered over to open it.

“But! The storm-”

He turned to look over his shoulder, eyes flashing as he cut off Kunsel, “It was wonderful to meet you all. Perhaps I’ll be by to enjoy your hospitality again.”

He left. He couldn’t stand to be in that place a moment longer. He needed to get back to Noctis.

With a whisper of wind, Ardyn dissolved into mist that rocketed through the storm uncaring of the currents trying to pull it every which way. It took only an hour, half the original time, to get to where he needed to be. Already well into the night, Noctis was asleep on the haven, a yellow tent standing better than he thought the prince was capable of.

He sighed as soon as his lungs were fully reformed, pacing the outer perimeter of the glowing rock. It was a shame he couldn’t go near them without getting extremely uncomfortable. As he didn’t really need sleep -even if enjoyed the luxury- Ardyn instead turned to the little sentinel he’d had watching over his husband. With barely a thought, a tonberry crept out of the shadows to shuffle in front of him. It fed the flashes of images and sounds it had memorized into his mind in answer to his unasked question. Suddenly, Ardyn was grateful he’d left the little daemon on watch. Small, unobtrusive, and much more sturdy than lower classed damons, tonberries were perfect spies. And this spy had some disconcerting information. Though the daemon felt no need to protect its charge as there was no combative threat, Ardyn was still worried that Noctis had been seen by a Kingsglaive. It was probably pure luck that it was one that didn’t seem to recognize the prince and instead had assisted with rescuing Cecil, setting up camp, and then talking about Insomnia.

He was going to need to finish that glamor anchor sooner rather than later.


	4. Backslide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ravatogh turns into Pitioss and the husbands are about to have a very bad time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back bitches! XD Have at this lovely piece and please do scream at me in the comments :)
> 
> My discord: commissions fluff
> 
> Me: Sure! Wait- what's fluff?
> 
> Also: little bit of a vomit warning so you're aware!

**CAW!**

Or well maybe it was more of a shrill screech that was supposed to sound like a caw. Whatever it was, it rumbled in his chest, shook his entire body, and would forevermore feature in his nightmares.

“Ardyn!” Noctis’ shriek of terror was drowned out by the heavy wingbeats of a fully matured Zu snatching him off the side of the volcano.

Ardyn’s response was also washed away by the incredible distance the giant feathered beast was creating between them.

This was not exactly what he was expecting of the highly anticipated trip. Honestly, the whole day had been bad but this just seemed to be the shitty cherry on top.

Why couldn’t it have been more like the previous days?

Though Cecil’s escape had terrified him, it had still led to meeting Libs. The man was pretty chill and, besides bemoaning Lucis’ lack of care for refugees, seemed to enjoy his job. The Kingsglaive member had quite happily expanded on Galahdian culture and cuisine, talking about how the whole community was a family, and waxing poetic about ‘his little sister’, Crowe, and his heroic ‘brother’ Nyx. Then he’d given several recipes that Noctis could try to work with (“Nothing special,” he said. “Can’t go givin’ away family secrets! But I’d be more ‘an happy to introduce ya to some fine cooking if ya ever visit Insomnia.”) before he finally had to leave to finish his hunt before dark.

So with a warm belly full of some excellently cooked fish (for once the fire decided not to spontaneously eat his cooking), he’d settled in his tent put up with help from Libs. Cecil curled upon his chest and started a grooming session, shoving his tiny paws into Noct’s cheeks to reach the good places before finally settling as well, purring like a motorboat.

With the soothing light of the haven to fill his tent, he allowed the heat exhaustion and adrenaline crash to lull him to sleep. The next morning he woke slowly and comfortably, his newly purchased sleeping bag surprisingly plush and cozy. He would have lounged there for a while if the sudden thought of his husband being back hadn’t popped into his head.

With a sudden jolt of excitement, Noctis had eagerly pulled himself out of the bedroll popping a bleary Cecil onto the ground. The poor thing let out a disgruntled purrup and shook himself out before wandering right back onto the cushy roll. Noctis snorted and continued changing clumsily, carefully stretching his back while doing so. Thankfully, it was looking to be a good day with no pain.

Ardyn had been waiting outside for him, sitting a ways away in the small yellow chair he’d been using for fishing.

“My dear,” he had greeted cheerfully, standing and marching over to greet Noctis as he jumped off the haven.

A wonderful morning full of wonderfully languid kisses. 

Of course, there was that small tidbit of guilt that niggled at him when he decided to omit certain events from the previous night. It wasn’t much, really, just- For some reason he’d felt wary about divulging the fact that the hunter he’d met had been Kingsglaive. There was no logical explanation to not tell his husband. Well… there was the fact that Ardyn was the Chancellor of Niflheim but he didn’t seem all that interested in the war, was in fact sabotaging it. He’d probably be completely okay with Noctis meeting a soldier of Lucis. Still, Noctis’ lips had stayed sealed.

And maybe it had tinged the rest of the trip a bit, but overall everything was still fantastic then. The car ride was rather long once everything was packed up. And Cecil was more energetic than usual, climbing all over him like a particularly great fence. And his back started to hurt again from the sitting in the same position for so long even with the multiple rest stops.

That night more than made up for it. It came with a soothing massage, his husband’s wonderful mouth creating pictures with hickeys, and the warmth of a large body and a tiny purball to lull him to sleep. Then, of course, came the next morning. This time he was more than willing to lounge and bask in the comfortable setup. Ardyn was snoozing peacefully and Noctis could take the time to study him. It wasn’t often Noctis was the first to wake, after all. The lines on his forehead disappeared, his lips smoothed into something peaceful instead of smirking, his hair fell in light waves across his face and neck creating a picturesque scene. Noctis wanted to burn it into his memories because he knew then if he’d reached for his camera, the man would awaken.

Unfortunately, time marched on and a little while later they were both up and packing. The heat, while still oppressive, seemed lesser today which was a great relief. One would think living in Lucis would grant Noctis some immunity but he was just as susceptible as any Nif. His pale ass skin helped nothing except the formation of sunburns. Which were extremely unpleasant but easily taken care of with the topical application of a potion; Ardyn supplied them in abundance.

It was only a short drive from their chosen camping ground -behind a rock formation and away from prying eyes- to the Veritas Mart. That was where things seemed to go downhill. First, the heat was already coming back with a vengeance as the sun rose and they drew closer to the giant earthen bucket of lava; that made Noctis a bit cranky. Second, they had a hard time finding someone to watch Cecil, until finally the weapon’s dealer for hunters approached and offered to catsit if they could pay. The relief of finding someone was completely wiped when Cecil threw a fit. He yowled, and moaned, and hissed anytime the amnesiac tried to leave without him.

It took three more hours of their time than they’d like to settle Cecil, who was still whining when they left. Then they hopped over to the tipster to see if there were any hunts they could manage while on their trip up. Sadly, there was only one for an overgrown flock of wyverns. It was something, though, so Noctis took it, already grumpy but still ready to fight some monsters. It would relieve some stress. Or so he thought.

Clearly, he had underestimated the heat of this stupid lava rock. Ardyn had started to hover, noticing he had been on the verge of heatstroke but that only set Noctis off all the more. Which… he felt bad about right now. He’d have to remember to apologize for the disaster this trip had become. 

Hey. At least they got the wyverns even if it had caused him to pass out momentarily from heat exhaustion. And he’d gotten a few amazing pictures. Like that one rock formation that was definitely a foot, and that gorgeous rock near the lava pit that looked like a heart with the middle spooned out, and some candid shots of Ardyn wearing something other than that ridiculous coat. His husband had chosen a more place appropriate garb to deal with the disgusting temperature and sweat that followed.

He’d donned a plain white, thin, cotton long-sleeve, pulled on a pair of heavier duty combat pants that rather nicely showed off his ass and tucked them into heavier hiking boots, tied his hair into a ponytail and plopped a wide-brimmed straw hat on his head. It was so completely different from what he was used to that Noctis had stared for a bit when the man had emerged from the tent that morning. Sure, he’d seen him in pajamas but mostly his daily wear consisted of the same outfit with more or less layers depending. So to see him like that was a bit of shock. Then it was just an excuse to take pictures so he’d never forget how gorgeous his man looked even in such plain clothing.

Noctis really really wanted to go back to the ease of the morning instead of this horrifying situation.

“Ardyn,” he called out (his voice wasn't cracking in stress _not at all_ ) again desperately searching the cliff side for any sign of his husband to come to his rescue. He saw nothing.

The Zu flew higher, drifting to the side and ignoring its prey’s desperate attempts to wiggle free. It was grating how weak it made him feel after his fantastic conquests at Steyliff Grove. Still, he didn’t stop trying to at least get one hand free, preferably the hand that had a death grip on Rapier’s hilt. The amnesiac didn’t exactly want to fall and go splat on any of those pointy rocks, but maybe he could make the damn thing land.

“Shit!” He kicked his feet uselessly and gazed around again -he wanted Ardyn, where did he go?- taking note that the feathery menace had taken a large swooping path in the air and was on the opposite side of the volcano, now turning around. In fact, he could make out Veritas Mart down there and all the little dots that were clustered outside probably watching the monster fly.

The height wasn’t a big deal, besides the overwhelming need to not fall, until that point. Then it was like a rushing waterfall of animalistic terror. He was so high up. If he fell, he died. If he didn’t escape, he died. He truly wasn’t sure which death would be worse. There were tears pricking in the corners of his eyes now, threatening to fall with the whipping of the (admittedly lovely feeling) wind. 

He shouldn't have argued with Ardyn. He should never have snapped at the man and stormed off. Not only was it completely undeserved, but he would have never been in this situation to begin with. The regret was swelling heavily in his chest and stomach (along with his lunch, oh astrals, he did not want to puke right now) which only forced his tears to spill over, then immediately scraped them over his face and tugged them into open air as if the salty liquid was a reverent sacrifice. The tracks dried immediately but more tears easily blazed a new trail. His nose was starting to clog and breathing was becoming a difficult chore.

He kicked weakly a few more times before falling limp. He wasn’t giving up… he wasn’t. He was just tired. And he could fight when the Zu landed if he was even alive then. Noctis took a moment to enjoy the wind cooling his heated skin.

Then his stomach fell to his toes as the Zu let out a pained screech, jerking and plummeting as it tried to save itself from this new plunge. The claws tightened significantly, crushing the air from his lungs before completely releasing him. He dragged in a pained breath, then promptly released it in a shriek at the sight of the ground rapidly approaching before his stomach abruptly heaved and everything that hadn’t been digested was suddenly falling along with him. 

There wasn’t even any time to be nauseous at the thought or sight of his own vomit falling like rain around him. A shattering of blue light surrounded him and he was spinning and spinning unable to do anything while he screamed and screamed. What could have been moments or an eternity later arms wrapped securely around his flailing limbs followed by a purple shatter and another shatter and another shatter, and abruptly the ground was under his feet. If it weren’t for the steel bands wrapped around his chest, Noctis was sure he’d have collapsed.

There was a murmuring in his ear, low and comforting, but the words were unintelligible. It sounded like drums, his heartbeat. Roaring rushing drums that drowned everything else out; pounding, pounding against the abject terror. His thoughts were scrambled, his breathing much too quick, and he couldn’t even clutch onto his safety properly; fingers cramping. He wanted to cry and cry and cry. He wanted Cecil and Ardyn in their tiny tent, all warmth and love. He wanted home cooked food and happy laughs. He wanted-

Noctis woke cotton-mouthed with his head aching incessantly. When he tried to open his eyes it felt like they were glued together. Raising his hand to wipe whatever it was away was rather more difficult than he remembered, too. It took a moment for the ravenette to feel the subtle ache permeating his body but when he did- well, it settled in like a Voretooth in its den.

With a quick tired rub, Noctis was finally able to open his eyes to the great blue sky that was slowly turning purple and orange.

“Noctis?”

“Ardyn,” he croaked, glancing to the side where his lover was sat cross-legged crafting something. “What-?”

“Hold on, love.” He set the small bottle he was working on to the side, got up to his knees and shuffled over with a small canteen settling in his hand with a small tinkle. “Here. You need to drink now that you’re awake. Slowly.”

With a shaky hand, he accepted the water and started taking sips, using his fantastic restraint to keep from downing the whole thing in one go. As he was slowly working on the canteen, the blurry memories started sharpening in his mind. The argument over something as simple as where they were going to camp and the Zu snatching him right off the mountain when he’d stormed over to the ledge. The terror that had been so palpable then almost seemed like a scary dream now. He remembered how his body reacted but it was surreal. Not something that could have happened…

Except it had, and despite all odds, Ardyn -who’d he called for again and again- had gotten up there and saved him. What a rescue it was. Humiliating. He’d been weak, losing his stomach and then passing out.

Noctis glanced over to Ardyn again with pursed lips. The man let out a soft, ‘aha!’ and held up the green glowing bottle. Noticing his husband’s gaze the redhead gave him a soft smile and explained, “An elixir. A little tougher to craft but more comprehensive. Though, it doesn’t go down well on an empty stomach so you’ll have to eat something.”

That said there were some more tinkling chimes and the fruit they’d bought a day ago was laid out. Noctis took another sip of water before slowly reaching out for an apple. Ardyn grabbed one as well and they ate in silence. When there was only the core left in his hand, and an empty canteen sat next to his hip, Noctis turned to Ardyn and said softly, “I’m sorry.”

The Chancellor blinked, a larger smile tugging at his lips. “You’re forgiven, dear one. Everyone has their bad days. Now, here.”

Noctis accepted the flask and crushed it, watching the swirls of green settle in his skin, the glow traveling all the way up to his chest and beyond. It brought sweet relief. The aches faded, the headache settled to a distant throb, and the shaking of his hands disappeared.

“You’re too good to me,” he sniffled a little pathetically. But he couldn’t help it. Ardyn was really amazing and he took care of Noctis. Ever since he woke up, Ardyn had been there helping him heal, helping him learn, and being ever so patient. He never would have been able to care for someone the way his husband could and was doing. That’s why he kept trying, kept searching, for an answer but he just couldn’t-

His eyes were burning again and there was a bubble swelling in his throat that he was having difficulty swallowing down.

“Ah, but Noct, you are far too good for me. I have to do everything to keep you ensnared in my web,” Ardyn cooed laying a gentle arm across the teen’s shoulders. 

Noctis gave a wet giggle, turning into the offered warmth and burying his head into the man’s side. Neither of them said anything about the wet spot on the cotton shirt when Noctis finally pulled away feeling a little refreshed.

“I’m never going to leave you,” he muttered a bit petulantly. “You couldn’t pry me away if you tried.”

Ardyn hummed pressing his face against Noctis’ hair, his free hand drawing circles against the slight skin showing on Noctis’ hip.

“Where are we anyway?”

He glanced around again, paying a bit more attention this time. There were several large rocks around, one of which they were sitting up against, cooling in its shade. The sun was setting and the darkness would be absolute in about an hour and Noctis and Ardyn were sitting on some dirt surrounded by malformed rocks. Great. There were a few shapes in the distance that looked like trees with no leaves but otherwise it was barren. By the heat he could at least tell that they were still near Ravatogh, though he didn’t think they were close to the summit anymore.

“We are at the base of Ravatogh, though a great many large rocks black our way back. There is a hill path down that way,” he said pointing towards where the aforementioned trees were, “that we might try. But, I confess, I did not explore much while you were napping. There was work to do. I rather believe you would have despised waking up covered in your own stomach’s contents?”

The mention of his embarrassing reaction made his stomach churn uneasily. He ignored it, barely, and instead focused on his appreciation for what Ardyn had had to do. Actually…

He glanced down, just noticing that the red T-shirt he’d worn that day had been replaced by a beige one with a chibi chocobo printed on it. His pants were still the same except-

“Where’s Rapier,” he blurted in worry. 

Had he lost it? Had it fallen somewhere else? No, no, no! That was a gift and a friend (as much as a sword could be called a friend) and if he’d lost it-

“Calm down, sweetling. I have it in the armiger. Rapier is very fond of you,” he chuckled. “Followed us all the way to the ground and landed tip down in the earth with no damage.”

Noctis let out a sigh of relief, tense muscles uncoiling. Though he thought it strange Ardyn had said the sword followed them. He knew the blade was magical but it didn’t make it sentient or anything. Still, he was rather glad he would be reunited with his partner. “We should probably get going, huh? I’m not afraid of the dark but we still have to get back and, oh gods, Cecil....”

“I think you’re far too cavalier about daemons, Noctis. I may have control over most, but the stronger they are, the more of their own will they form. And, unfortunately this area seems to attract higher level monsters, which means higher level daemons. They would not attack me alone but-”

“They will when I’m with you,” he sighed despondently. 

“Indeed. Your suggestion is a good one. We should be moving on.”

They both clambered up, Noctis taking the time to stretch while Ardyn pulled his red sword back out for him which he attached to its rightful place on his hip. Then they set off, keeping an eye out for monsters as they headed closer to the possible way out. Then a sudden thought crossed his mind. “Hey, what was that thing you did when we were falling? It felt like… I dunno- warping? Or something…”

Ardyn grinned. “You would be correct my dear. It is not a common power that I use. It’s more draining to me than anything else.”

“Wait, you can actually warp. Like teleport? That is so badass!”

“Tis not quite so simple, but yes. I do believe I’m an all around badass even without the warping.” Noctis found amusement and endearing warmth at the way his husband’s mouth wrapped around the slang. It sounded so odd coming from him but that he’d ‘lowered’ himself to use it was heart-warming.

“Sure, sure.” He would have said something else, maybe to the effect of the different levels of badassery but there was something that caught his attention. It was like a niggle in the back of his head, a summoning pulling him quicker towards the path they were already on. He blinked, gazing up the rocky trail with a furrowed brow. “Do you feel that?”

Ardyn turned to him, the sweat on his skin shimmering in the light of setting sun even with his back turned to it. The three buttons on the front of his shirt were undone, allowing Noctis’ eyes to trace the path of a small bead of sweat from his neck, down his chest, until it disappeared from view. How strange. He’d never actually noticed before, probably taking it for granted, but this was the first time he’d seen Ardyn sweat. Oddly, it made Noct want to lick it. “Feel what?”

Distracted by the pretty picture of the gorgeous man in front of him, the feeling vanished. “What? Oh, uh, nothing. I thought- but… nevermind.”

Golden eyes watched him for a moment, glowing in the shadowed recesses of his face. The curiosity did not abate but he did allow the matter to drop with a nod and they carried on. It was easy to avoid the monsters, except for straggling wasps but Ardyn handled those quickly, not wanting to deal with the poison effects. They reached the ‘trees’ only a few minutes later and Noctis discovered that they might have been trees once but definitely were not any longer.

“Petrified wood,” Ardyn mumbled, voice heavy with something he could not define.

“Petrified? Can monsters turn wood to stone?”

“No. It is not monsters that do this, but circumstance and time. This area is very old and based on the monsters,” they’d seen a few discolored Malboro in the distance and quite a few large Cockatrices, “not something humans have seen in a while. Hm.”

“Is that a good thing or bad thing?”

“Right now, neither. But it certainly is interesting. I’ve never been here before.”

Oh! Well, that was exciting! Ardyn had been to a lot of places based on the maps he’d given to Noctis for studying. All hand drawn with quite a few hidden places that the modern era had yet to discover. So, to be in a place where even the ancient man hadn’t been was exhilarating. 

His heart was pumping in excitement, the blood rushing to all his extremities, as he turned a careful eye on all his surroundings. This could be a true exploration! Maybe they would find a lost tomb or maybe a ruin like Steyliff? He would need to take pictures- Oh!

“Ardyn? Can I have my camera?”

“Hm? I suppose… But Noctis, this could be very dangerous. I need you to be at your best. Can you do that with a distraction?”

He took a moment to think it over, the seriousness in Ardyn’s voice giving him pause. He’d only heard that tone once before and that was when the man had recited his own horrid tale. 

Yes. He could. He’d learned his lesson of not paying attention when he stormed away without so much as a by your leave and got snatched. 

“I’ll be ready,” he responded with conviction. “I’ll even let you know if I think I’ll be more focused on the camera so we can stop. You’ll be my spotter, right?”

Ardyn gave a merry little chuckle before producing the camera in answer. Noctis whooped quietly, slinging the strap across his neck so it settled on his chest after he took a quick snap of the petrified trees. Then they were off again, up the small dirt route as the sun disappeared completely behind the horizon. The light would only be lasting another thirty minutes…

“Ardyn? Even if they attack us- you can still sense the daemons beforehand, right?”

“Correct.” 

Okay. That was good. At least they would have a night monster radar. It eased some of the nerves in his chest, allowing his breathing to come a little easier. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle another surprise like earlier, his poor heart would probably give out. Not before he tried to bash the thing’s head in, of course. He’d fight! He just wouldn’t appreciate it, is all.

It wasn’t long going up the zigzag trail before they saw the stairway made of lighter stone than the surrounding lava rock. It was formed of smaller squares all perfectly cut to size and placed next to each other. The stairs led up to a strangely formed ruin, only small pieces of it crumbling away from the sturdy walls. More petrified wood stood as tired sentinels in a fence around the ruined walkway.

There was still enough light to capture a few shots, the dying orange of the sky settling over the stones like fire. He snapped a few shots with awe. That familiar excitement bubbling back up and making him giddy.

Ardyn, seemingly distracted, had wandered closer to stairs and crouched in front of them, swiping his pointer finger across it. Then he stuck that finger in his mouth and Noctis blanched a little. He stood and announced, “Basalt.”

Noctis couldn’t help the disgusted twinge to his voice as he responded with an eloquent, “What?”

He knew Ardyn had a stone collection but he didn’t think he _ate_ them.

“The stone is basalt,” the Chancellor replied, reaching up to tug on a few stray strands of his bangs. “It’s commonly seen around volcanoes but the color is most uncommon. In fact I haven’t seen this shade of white since the ancient times when they built to-”

Noctis, having wandered closer, turned and blinked in curiosity. “To?”

But the man was not paying attention, his eyes glazed.

“Ardyn?”

The redhead let out a low groan, pulling his straw hat off to swipe his hands through his bangs in a common gesture of frustration. That was followed by a low string of words that made absolutely no sense, although he recognized the language from studying it so much; Ancient Solheimian. 

“To Ifrit,” Ardyn snapped after a beat of silence. “Of course there would be something to Ifrit at the site of his death.” He devolved into frantic mutterings and Noctis just watched, fascinated.

He had seen his husband frustrated, he had seen him guilt-laden and sorrowful, he had even seen him furious once, but he had never seen this level of- well, something before. He wasn’t quite sure whether it was some form of mania or self deprecation mixed with excitement but it was enough to change the man’s entire demeanor and energy. He was fidgety and pacing instead of calm and collected, outspoken (even if in another language) and distracted instead of quiet and observing. It was such a strange turnaround from his normal behavior that all the amnesiac could do was stare and catalogue every action to dissect at a later date.

Eventually, when the darkness was enough that he had to turn on the flashlight attached to his belt, Ardyn stopped. Quite abruptly at that. Then he marched over to the stunned ravenette and wrapped trembling arms around him.

“Let me just hold you a moment,” Ardyn pleaded in answer to Noct’s questioning noise.

So he let him.

They both stood there for a while longer as the shadows around them grew deeper and the stars in the sky glowed brighter. Then there was even an orange light that could be made out from atop the volcano behind them. It was a gorgeous scene that, although he couldn’t capture it on camera with the big limpet wrapped around him that he refused to remove, he strived to memorize it. He needed to hold onto the sight of a new unexplored adventure, the feeling of his husband -warm and protective- seeking comfort from him, the stink of wood rot underlying the uncharacteristic stink of male sweat (it wasn’t fair that Ardyn didn’t normally sweat but it was good to know that a volcano was what it took to make it happen), the distant sound of monsters and the gentle _whoo_ of a light breeze, even the faintly bitter taste of acid in the back of his mouth was important.

And then there was that feeling again, ruining everything. It drew his attention, much stronger than before and Noctis was just so sure that he had to go a few hundred feet and he would be there. The amnesiac twitched in the larger male’s hold, desperate to soak in the moment but also inexplicably drawn to whatever was calling him.

“Ardyn,” he whispered roughly. “Do you feel that?”

The Chancellor pulled away sluggishly, looking down at him with a slight frown and glazed eyes. “Feel what?”

“I-I have to go,” he pointed up the stairs. “There. I need- it's something-”

His lips twisted in frustration at the inability to say the right words. It wasn’t exactly something one could explain, either. It just _was._ There was something important just up there and he had to see it, had to-to… touch it…

“Noctis?”

Despite his desire to stay within Ardyn’s arms, especially with the surprise comfort seeking, the more he paid attention to that feeling, the stronger it was getting. A gentle buzz was starting to fill his thoughts, a tugging sensation building behind his navel. Still, he turned blue eyes onto his husband, to see the worry creasing his face in hard lines. It was that sight that made him push back, made him want to tuck his head under a stubbled chin and just soak in the redhead’s presence. 

The more he fought it, the less natural it felt, the more insistent and almost _pleading_ it became.

After a moment he was able to force out, “Something’s wrong. I need to help. I can’t- not-”

“Something here? Is calling you?”

“Yes. It’s pleading. Making my head fuzzy. Need to go.”

Ardyn’s frown had transformed into a full scowl, his gold eyes glinting a little brighter as black leaked into the smaller veins. “We’ll go a different way, then. Ifrit’s temple is not to be trusted. Whatever was done here… I remember only fragments but ‘tis enough to know it was after the war. Not a particularly commendable time.”

But Noctis couldn’t do that. Already the call had drawn his attention to it and now there was something else there; a garbled voice, soft and wispy.

* * *

Ardyn lost him. He was standing right in front of his little husband but it was like the lights were off. His blank eyes were gazing unerringly at the small ruin behind them. It made his heart miss several beats in terror, made his hands shake at the thought of losing him to whatever ancient power laid down there. The Zu had been horrifying enough but this-

“Noctis,” he tried one more time, placing his hands firmly over his lover’s shoulders to stop him from moving forward. He didn’t want to hurt him so… when there was no response, only unintelligible muttering, he cast a strong sleep spell and watched it wash off of the teen with growing disbelief. He tried again with the same result and couldn’t help one last useless cast just to see it happen again.

This was… unprecedented. Whatever had hold of Noctis was also protecting him!

Which, unfortunately, meant that he couldn't stop the ravenette from going to the temple ruins and to whatever was trying to summon him. But, he could still follow. With a sigh, he wrenched his fingers away, fighting the urge to just hold the boy close and never let go. At once, Noctis started forward a slow shambling walk, that turned more natural the further up the white stone stairs he got.

Then there was a break in the walkway, a small hop that wouldn’t be a hardship. Ardyn, saw exactly why it was there. Only those of a certain lineage would be able to get passed the shimmering magic veil that spanned the entire width. Anyone else would either be repelled or subconsciously unwilling to approach it. That he could see it was more than likely a good sign he’d be able to pass it… But the entire thing did peak his curiosity. What could be lingering down there that had such protections? That _needed_ such protections?

The memories clamoring for attention said this was a temple to Ifrit… or possibly it was a temple that Ifrit built? Was it not made to be to the fire deity then? But what else could it be? What would make an Astral build a shrine not to its own self?

He’d only find out by following, so with a resigned sigh, he crossed the gap. On the other side, the almost invisible tension in his shoulders released. He caught up to Noctis after turning the corner and hopping over an empty gap where two pieces of petrified wood had snapped away, wrapping a hand around the ravenette’s upper bicep to keep him close. The teen was still muttering as they came to a stop outside of a crystal powered door. It looked surprisingly similar to Solheim tech but he knew it was older, much older. Ifrit had built this, using his own energy. 

This was part of the gift he had given Solheim that they adapted for their own use before spurning the Astral.

It was rather annoying to have flashes of the tattered memories, barely more than a taste of emotion and scattered colors, while he was trying to focus but he was used to dealing with it. ‘Twas just rather more strong here than anywhere else. With one hand he brushed his damp bangs from his face, the other held tight to his husband as they stepped towards the portal plate, Ardyn with trepidation, and Noctis with a barely perceptible eagerness.

There was the same tingling sensation of Solheim tech and the ground shifted beneath their feet. Ardyn, having been expecting the wall to move, or even possibly, a teleportation, was startled and almost fell. The drop was even fast enough to make their clothes lift slightly with an upwards breeze. Then the wall in front of them gave way to a passage that they dropped past too quickly to react. It ended up stopping at the next opening only a few seconds later.

As soon as the rumbles beneath their feet dissipated, Noctis seemed to come alive, a shudder running through his entire body as his eyes blinked repeatedly.

“Noctis,” he whispered hopefully.

The boy turned, looking confused for a brief second before recognition sparked. “Ardyn! What… happened?”

As he started looking around, paying close attention to the doping red spikes in front of them, Ardyn started explaining lowly, “You were lost to me, Noct. Whatever wanted your attention in this horrid place snatched it so entirely that you were nothing but a shambling muttering body. ‘Twas quite horrifying I assure you. Please… if you feel it happening again-”

“But I don’t remember anything like that,” Noctis frowned, turning to face him fully and placing a hand over Ardyn’s that was still clutched to his bicep. 

Ardyn pursed his lips. That was not a good sign at all. “What do you remember?”

“I… There was something calling, yes. I think it was a voice? Multiple voices? I tried to tell you but she-they were insistent. Begged me to come… to talk… That’s it. Then I was here.” He glanced up, looking at the shaft above them. Ardyn glanced up too. He could possibly warp them out but he didn’t want to set off another possession or whatever it was that happened to his husband.

“And do you know where here is,” Ardyn queried looking back down into blue eyes, almost black in the dim orangish red lighting in front of them.

Noctis paused and blinked. “Pitioss.”

“Interesting. And I suppose whatever is trying to… speak to you is inside.”

“Yeah, it’s- it’s a trial. A replica of… of Ifrit’s folly? The Astral was tasked with building it afterwards but it was shaped… by something older. How do I even know this,” Noctis muttered.

Ardyn wondered the same thing. The answer was a conclusion he did not want to reach, especially with Ifrit’s memories pounding in the back of his head. But he didn’t have time for useless flashes, and so pushed them aside to focus on the now.

There in front of them were spiked blocks falling from the ceiling, up and down and up and down, the tips of the razored metal glowing a molten orange-red. The first obstacle in whatever ‘trial’ they needed to pass.

“Well,” he muttered softly, “there is no way but forward.”

“I don’t really like the sound of that,” Noctis responded haltingly.

“Neither do I.”

And yet forward they went. Though the ceiling blocks were large, they were also slow, easy to bypass after taking a moment to count the seconds. Beyond that was a narrowed hall that led up into a larger room. Both of them stopped to stare at the massive space and the unending black where the stone suddenly dropped away.

“What in Eos’ name…”

“It’s the first puzzle room,” Noctis said, glancing from the streaming -uncomfortably scourge-like- tar off in the distance, over to the giant statue of a horned humanoid beast that sat behind bars. “How the forbidden gates were broken…”

“Do you know how to proceed then,” Ardyn questioned while pulling his hat from his head and sending it into the armiger. While a great sun protector, it would only obscure his vision in here when he needed to be able to see _everything_.

“Sort of? It’s like… I don’t even have these answers until in the moment. Like a live feed straight into my brain. Kinda disconcerting honestly,” the teen huffed, rubbing his hands over his forearms and bumping the camera on his chest. He looked down at it with a frown and brought it up to snap a few pictures.

Very disconcerting really. That meant whatever called him here did still have a hold over Noctis. Just the thought of his earlier blank stare had fine tremors racing through Ardyn’s muscles. He couldn’t lose him to whatever power was here. If he had to bring the full force of all the scourge in the world down here… he would. He really truly would.

“I’m here.” And Ardyn set his hands on the boy’s shoulders in a comforting -possessive- squeeze. He wouldn’t let whatever it was separate them. He hardly noticed the churning scourge in his veins rumbling the same agreement over his own clamoring thoughts and worries. It was only a small trouble off his chest that the scourge agreed and he thought nothing else of it as he plotted and planned any scenario he could think of. Sadly, it wasn’t many considering he knew nothing of anything down here.

Noctis huffed softly, a smile pulling at his lips despite the furrow in his brow. “Thanks. We should… probably look around at least.”

So they did. Ardyn dogged his little husband’s footsteps, refusing to let him out of sight in case something happened. Even when Noctis suggested they split up and try things out so it would go faster. He wouldn’t. He trusted absolutely _nothing_ in here and said as much. Noctis had turned to him then, eyes wide looking for something in the Chancellor’s face. Whether or not, Noctis found it… the boy said nothing else about splitting up and they continued to glance around (while Noctis took photos).

Despite the crumbling corners and broken brickwork, the floor was sturdy where they stepped and all of the ‘puzzles’ were in perfect working condition. After working through the first two, releasing the cage and smashing a giant metal ball against the back wall, Ardyn was tempted to just smash the place. Moving walls and floors, too many ceiling spikes, sudden death drops and precariously high jumps, extremely worrying gate guardians with the faces of the damned… It made his skin crawl and the scourge churn harder inside him. This very temple felt like it wanted him gone, the air thickening the further they got into completing the first puzzle room. Noctis seemed unaffected but he couldn’t be sure if it was because of the scourge that Ardyn was being rejected- or if it was the being that had dragged Noctis down here that was protecting the teen. Either way, he wanted to leave. The urge was so strong that the only reason he could push past it was thoughts of protecting his light, cradling him close, hoarding it.

“What next Noctis?”

The boy paused and glanced around before pointing up at the orange button above the giant metal ball. “I think that’s the only thing we haven’t pressed in here that we can get to.”

Ardyn looked over the set up. The ball in front of the statue and an open hallway behind the statues back… Well, that was probably the way it was supposed to go but why not just cheat?

“Come, sweetling. I’ll give you a lift onto the statue so you can jump over to the ball.” At least this way they wouldn’t have to go back through the pointless little traps again.

Noctis threw him a bright grin and complied, easily hauling himself up using the statue's horn and Ardyn’s cupped hands. Then he hopped straight over to the ball, then the button. Which left Ardyn in the perfect position so see another giant ball dropped from the ceiling on a thick metal chain and knock the unsightly large human statue’s head from its shoulder.

“Oh my,” he murmured as it settled onto the floor leaving the rest of the stone work in the perfect position to get them across to the previously unreachable button above the doorway (that had now turned orange which he had learned quickly was the prompt for the next part of the puzzle in this room).

“What did I miss!?” Noctis came jogging over, eyes scanning the room. He quickly spotted the newly added decoration. “Whoah.”

“Indeed. I suppose that is where we head next, hm?”

“Yea. And so goeth the gate,” Noctis hummed absentmindedly, eyes forward to their next move. He snapped a few pictures as well.

They crossed the room, Noctis scaling the statue arm to push the button. Once again Ardyn was perfectly placed to watch the metal ball from the front of the room get launched into and through the doorway opening up the new path. He had to take a few moments after that to get his heart out of his throat. What if the ball had hit Noctis instead? 

“Come on, old man! I feel antiquated already just waiting on you.”

He blinked back at his husband and huffed softly in amusement (but glad, so very glad Noctis was waiting). “My dear, I’m surprised that word exists in your vocabulary.”

“Hey!”

And so they moved on into the next room. Another humanoid statue gazed at them in the distance, settled high above their path as if looking down on them. To either side were more barriers, marking the only direction to go as forward. With lots more jumping and then activating a rotating yellow ball around an entire room, Ardyn and Noctis solved the puzzle with a precarious jump (barely missing the many spikes set up to skewer them) from the top of the yellow stone ball.

“I very much dislike this place,” the Chancellor growled, fingers clawing at the air in frustration. The air was very nearly suffocating now and the further they went, the more the scourge surged to awareness from where he’d suppressed it with Noctis’ love and light. It was whispering unintelligibly in his head, a ringing that was subtly getting louder and more distracting. 

“I’m sorry,” Noctis whispered next to him. His hand slid into Ardyn’s own, fingers intertwining as the boys clutched at his hand like a lifeline. “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing for it now… best to move on…”

Noctis only repeated, “I’m sorry,” as they reached the next obstacle.

“Oh, this is just ridiculous!” More careful jumping (a heartracing moment of Noctis almost falling), and then they stood next to another statue. And a large hall looking room with four side doors and one directly facing them at the end of the room. He had the worst feeling he’d have to go through each and every one of those.

And they did. Of course they did. The first one was a riot of spikes and they found out first hand what actually happens when you touch them. A brief moment of pain and suddenly Ardyn was back in the beginning of the room with Noctis shouting his name in worry, the sound echoing in the empty space hauntingly. Noctis was the next one to accidentally touch a spike and end up back at the beginning. They blinked at each other, quite unamused before resignedly going again. Eventually, they reached the end, pushing the orange button and prompting the next door to open.

The second room had moving spike cylinders. Getting around them on the bottom was quite easy, if annoying. But having to use their tops to get across to the next part left Noctis so dizzy he ended up jumping at the wrong time and falling straight down into the pitch black beneath them. All Ardyn remembered at that time was letting out an unholy scream and jumping after him. They both ended up back at the beginning, quite peeved after their terror had subsided.

“Does that mean we can’t die in here,” Noctis wondered as they stood on the stone walkway before the spinning tops.

“It seems so… But I’d rather not put my faith in unknown magic, dear one. Don’t let this make you less cautious.”

“Right.”

It took two more tries -neither of which involved falling this time- before Noctis was able to fully cross over to where they needed to go. They had to rest after that, though, to give him time to recover. Ardyn didn’t truly mind. It also gave him a chance to try to suck in more breath through the truly appalling heavy weight that kept pushing on his lungs. And it gave Noctis a chance to go through the pictures he'd been taking when they had a moment to pause.

The third room was accessed through yet more perilous jumps and led into quite the annoying rolling stones. If they weren’t timed correctly, they got nowhere fast. Still, they got through it and moved onto the fourth room. Now that one was quite interesting. The floating piece of floor had one constant movement pattern and they had to use it carefully to get around their obstacles. T’was a little more strategic than the previous rooms but the excessive use of spikes was very much unappreciated, especially as they had to carefully jump into the middle of them again.

It was truly unfortunate that Ardyn was stuck doing this. The genius and sadism behind everything in here was quite phenomenal. He would love to watch people try and fail to get through here -especially on a time crunch- but it was quite another matter that he was the one stuck doing it while the entire place tried to reject his very presence making everything five times more difficult. His only saving grace was that Noctis was with him (discounting the fact that it was because of Noctis that they were here in the first place) and his presence seemed to lighten whatever was trying to squash him like an unwanted insect.

If it kept getting worse, he wasn’t going to be able to hide it from his lover much longer. The only reason he believed to have gotten away with it so far was the fact that Noctis seemed distracted by whatever higher power had a hold over him, pulling him forward.

“Ready, old man?”

“As ever,” Ardyn sighed.

And so, they ventured forward to the next door. That was… rotating. Because, of course, it could.

“How the hell-”

“My thoughts exactly, my dear.”

They sat there for a few minutes, staring at it flip and flip and flip-

It was Ardyn that first made a suggestion. “Perhaps we must jump to the bars on either side of it.”

“So like- Jump on, then off, then on again?”

“Exactly. I have a feeling there will be little room for error so we must be quick.”

“Okay. Maybe one of us on each side? “

“A fair plan.”

They looked at each other. Noctis snorted, eyes bright and it made Ardyn smile. At least his husband was getting some enjoyment out of this, even if it made the Accursed suffer.

“Ready?”

“Go.”

Thankfully, they did it in one go; no heart stopping falling involved. But that was about the only good thing. The next portion was covered by a monstrous looking spike contraption that rolled over the entire room back and forth. (The initial forward motion spooked them into staying still to see if it would reach them where they were. The answer was no.) Smack dab in the middle of the entire thing was a skull of epic proportions and he had the worst feeling that it was actually watching him. Not them, him _. Just Ardyn._ And, of course, the pressure on his chest had doubled again turning his breaths into mere wheezes.

This, Noctis had no choice but to notice. The concern was almost physically palpable. Unfortunately, he couldn’t just wave it away because it wasn’t fading at all, just sitting there heavily stealing his breath.

“Ardyn, what’s wrong!?”

His lips twitched in indecision. He knew exactly how Noctis would feel if he told him the effects this place was having on him but there wasn’t anything they could do about it. Going back would likely trigger another possessed episode -the scourge burned in his blood now, whispers growing frantic but still unintelligible- which he would not be able to stand, especially if this condition didn’t fade.

“Ardyn? Please, what’s wrong?”

Ardyn hated lying to Noctis. He didn’t want to start now.

“‘Tis this place, love. The further we delve the more it crushes the breath from my lungs. Perhaps it is the being that drew you here, perhaps it is the magic. Either way, I will get sicker as we go.”

Noctis gaped at him, his eyes a striking blue in the dim lighting. Interesting how they seemed to glow down here. “We could go back,” he suggested heavily.

“We can’t.” They both knew it.

“I-I could go by myself.”

“I won’t let you.” They both knew that too.

“Ardyn,” the prince whispered helplessly. Ardyn reached out and wiped away a tear, the rough pad of his thumb rubbing gently against the smooth skin of the boy’s cheek.

“Don’t worry about me, hm? Do you know how much farther we have to go?”

There was a frustration burning in those young eyes. Noctis closed them and sucked in a deep breath, then another. “I don’t,” he answered eventually. “But it can’t be too much more, right?”

Ardyn smiled weakly. “Right.”

The fifth room took the longest. It required a lot of patience waiting for the monstrous beast to pass by at the right times so they could continue unimpeded. They went around, underneath, through it, and eventually made their way to the top of it. Throughout it all, Ardyn felt watched, like prey with the hunter hiding just out of sight. It was a very disturbing feeling and not one he wanted repeated any time soon.

Noctis stuck close to him now. Instead of Ardyn trying to keep up, now it was Noctis pulling him along, their hands latched together (after he'd given the camera back to be stored in the armiger) until they needed to separate for jumps. It helped immensely. The physical touch did more for him than just the boy’s presence. The teen noticed and resolutely stuck to his chosen action, latching onto Ardyn with extra contact any time he could. Relief was wonderful and it made the love he held in his heart swell to epic proportions. This boy truly was too good for him. He was theirs.

Ṯ̴̂̓̿̇̕͝h̷̹̖̗̺͋̿̕e̸̙̩͑̒̈́̕y̸̡̼̗̲̳̽̋͐̿̿̒̾͌͛̆͜ ̷̱̻̫̭͔̄̈́̋̽̅̕͝w̵̨͙̥̭̽́̚o̶̙͎̊͜͠u̸̲͚͂̓͂̇́͐̒͑̀̚l̵̩̼̩̆͛ḋ̶̨̖͔̭̊ ̴̪̬̂͝ń̶̡͖̥͇̟̯͒̒͜ͅȩ̶̛͎̮̥͈̯͗͗̌́͊̏v̸̧͎̝̝̣͔̫̓̀̃̅̈́ȩ̶̪̻̏̎̂̑̽̐̃͜͠͠ṟ̵̢̒̑͒͝͠ ̷͇̝͇̲̲͈͂̄͋͂͊͒̈̽͘l̸̢̧̦͕̰͕̰̘͖͂̾͋̐̓̇ě̸̢̢̦͇͉̦͙̹̤̔͛̃͝͠t̸͈̜͉̜̓͗͑́͌͝ͅ ̴̖̙͚̟͇͗̿h̸̢̨̡̛͇̙̗̞̟͖̃͆i̴̧̙̟̖͙̥͚͙̅̎͊̉̉͗̏̍͊͜͠m̴̡̻̙͇͔̄́̽͛̈̄͐̕ ̸͉̳͕̙̪̺̋̑͂̚ğ̴̪̻̫̰͎̣̮̕̕͠o̵̼̙̻̟̯͓͎̙͓͒͜͝.̵͎̈͊͐̿

When they finally made it to the next part of this convoluted temple trial, Ardyn was starting to sweat from the effort. Though Noctis was relieving much of the pressure, it was still there and growing worse. So, he could be excused for cursing the Astrals in several different languages when they dropped into an expansive room with structures built to make it look like they defied gravity.

Walls built at a forty five degree angle instead of flat, pillars skewed so they could barely walk on them let alone stand… Yes. Ardyn was getting very very frustrated, especially because with how this stupid place was made, Noctis had to let go of his hand quite often. It was also decided that they would be taking breaks. Many breaks. Otherwise, Ardyn might actually faint on the spot. Technically he couldn’t die -or stay dead- from not breathing (Verstael had proven that when he chucked him in a water tank with no oxygen one day so very very long ago). If it was as easy as holding his breath, he wouldn’t be having this problem sadly.

No, this was more primal and crushing. A lot like gravity deciding to exert it’s hold times a hundredfold on one specific area; his chest. But it was unlike gravity as well. There was certain something in it that reached past the physical level. Reaching straight for the howling scourge in his body and trying to compress it. It made the virus rebel, buck and yowl like a trapped coeurl. But he had the feeling that if the pressure in his chest reached its zenith, something was going to break. He’d really rather it not be him.

With a sigh that was more of a gasping hiss, Ardyn forced himself back up from one of his breaks. Noctis, who had taken to carefully draping himself over Ardyn’s shoulder while forced into an awkward crouch, reluctantly let go and did a couple of stretches for his legs. As much as could be done on such terrible inclines anyways.

They both turned to look at the rotating stone wheel behind them.

“Ready, my dear?”

“Not really.”

“Too bad,” he smirked, tightening his fingers on Noctis’ own. “Unto the abyss.”

The ravenette scoffed but stepped forward at the same time and they both dropped to the next level. And crumbled when they hit the ground because the drop was much worse than they were expecting.

“Fuuuu-”

“Are you okay,” Ardyn gasped, his chest stuttering under the sudden onslaught of pain. 

“-uuuuuuugh… I think so… Gimme a minute.” Despite his words Noctis rolled so he was partially laying on top of Ardyn’s side. It made the cramping of his lungs ease a bit. Enough for him to take in a deeper breath. Enough for him to be able to move again.

“That was a little too hard of a landing. Ow,” Noctis muttered. But with Ardyn’s insistent shifting underneath him, the ravenette shoved himself up and used their joined hands to carefully pull the Chancellor up as well. The boy steadied him, and Ardyn appreciated it, leaning into the offered support. For not only was his chest almost being crushed, now lead weighed in his bones making him sluggish and tired.

The daemons were now loud enough to pound in his ears like drums.

L̶̡̧̠̰̲̠̪̏̇́͐̓̄̾ḛ̵̢̨̨̾͛͛͜t̸̢̥̞͋̆͌͊͑ ̷̏̄̓̏͊̌͘͜͝û̶̢̱̬̪͔̈́̇͛́͝s̵̪͋ ̷̩̟̜̜̖̇̈́̓͒́͂̔͂õ̶̯̓͗̓͐̋̚͝u̵̠̲͋̆͑̀̀̉̚t̴̡̮͖̰̘͈̣̄͐͛̐.̴̡̜̳̲̜̖͈̲̔̌̎͋͛̋͊

His throat burned for a moment, turning molten to match the churning blood in his veins, but he pushed it back. Something cracked in his chest and he lurched over with a gurgle.

“Ardyn!”

“I’m okay,” he gasped desperately. “I’m okay.”

He was. He _was_ . He _needed to be._

“Maybe we should rest more,” the prince fretted, taking more of his weight.

He had a feeling that if he stopped now, if he lost this focus on his husband, something bad was going to happen.

L̵̛̩̩̥͓̼̻͕͎̣̭̽̏e̴̯͐͗̑̑̚t̷̹͇̪͂̀̋͑̆͆̊̿͠ ̸̲͐̒͌̌̕u̷͍͕̓͂̂͠s̶̤͙̅͌ ̶̤͎̪̞̖̺̱̐̀f̸̧̛̔͐̂͊i̶͇̜̱̳̓͛̈́͗̾̋̇̀͝g̵̡̱͙͚̬͉̯̮͂ĥ̵̬̱͆̄̇̏̆͠t̷͔͊̋̍̕̚.̸̙͍͚̤̘̲̯̂̌̆̄͛̓̕͠

He gagged again trying to get the words out that he needed. “W-we can’t. N-need to-to move.”

“Ardyn-”

“Noctis,” he hissed.

The ravenette gasped, arms tightening. “Your eyes…”

L̸̡̢̛̛̝̺̩̘͂̄͒͜e̵̡̧̨̙̫̘̣͐̈̄͗͝t̶̨͈̲̟͕̘̂̽͜ ̶̟͕̞̌̒͋̕ṳ̵̝͕̖͛̄̃̍̅s̸̡̯̖̖͉̖̣̜̹͌͂ ̸̭͓̪͊̔̋̿͗͒͗͋ȕ̶̠͙͖͙̇̏͜n̷̨͈̺͒͒͌̈̂̐̈͛̕͠i̸̝͕͚͇̰͉̞̜͊̄̾͒̒͝͠t̷̘̠̥̜̉̈́̏̈͋͋͂̅e̸͖̟̰̼̭̳̩̼͖̯͝.̴̳͔̳̞̜̳̔͝ͅ

“P-please…”

“Alright, alright.” Noctis tugged him up and started dragging them forward, a bit of a limp in his step. Despite the agony that was surely taking over his senses ( _not again not again not again please-_ )he notes it and has the delirious thought of giving a massage to Noctis later.

“Ardyn… are you going to be able to jump?” The his boy’s tone was worried.

He gave a self deprecating smirk. “I’m going to have to, hm?”

With a soft groan he pushed himself away to try to walk on his power. It mostly worked. He couldn’t bear to let Noctis go ( _please don’t leave me like this)_ so he still had a small crutch but Ardyn would be damned if he couldn’t force his way through whatever this was. He was the Immortal Accursed and he _would not_ fall to pain. He had felt pain before; suffered the memories of everyone that came into his embrace. Pain was nothing.

But damn was it difficult to move…

Still, they pushed their way through. It was very rough, climbing and jumping all the way to the end in the state he was in. It was almost enough to make Ardyn reach his limit. In his haste to keep himself moving, he reached for his magic, looking for anything else that could possibly help him but found it diminished, a dim ember compared to the roaring flame it normally was. The next step he fumbled, slumping to his knees almost bringing Noctis down with him.

R̴̨̢̢̛͙̪̎͛̍̄̄̒͂̕͝ę̸͕̩͔͈̝̯̖̱̇̅͆̽̒̆̊̓͠ͅu̵̧͔̱͋͐͋̄̽͗́͜ń̸͖̫̼͉͌̈́̽̚ͅį̶̡͖͕͍̞̫̋̽̊̈̔̉̽̂̇ȍ̴̢̧̖̤̼̮̀͌͊̇n̶̡̢̮̻̻̭̩͎͗̽̓͐̑̏̆.̵̨̧͓͇̘̘̣̭̙̟̽̊

His magic… was gone. There was enough for him to live but the rest…?

_The pressure in his chest cracked open._

_Shattered._

Where was it?

What had happened?

“A…..dy…”

_Not again. Please not again._

It was gone. Stolen? It had to be. What else could have happened?

_Stolen stolen stolen stolen. T̶̞̈́̎̽͠h̷̡̛̼͔͉͈̺͆̉̿ĕ̵̯ȳ̶̙̥̼̇̈́̏̚ ̵̥͉͍̏̽͆̕͠ş̴̛̖̮͚̦̦̣̃͑̾̽̉̕͜͝t̵̫̋̈́̾͘̚o̶̜̫̫̤͑͋̋͐l̶̻͚̘̰̀͐̔́̊̎͘e̷̞͂̃̇̔̈́̈́̕͝ ̶̫̑̆̿į̵̲̫̰̱͊t̵͈̮̋͋̽͘͠ͅ._

“...pl….Ard…..ong?”

He needed it back. He _needed it_.

He couldn’t go back there. He wouldn’t let Somnus leave him there. _Don’t do this to me._

With a quivering moan, he latched onto the hands on his shoulders, gripping them tightly. So tightly that Somnus couldn’t leave. Couldn’t chain him there to be left to ŗ̷̠̜̪̑̐͒̏͊͌̾̕̕ͅo̷̧̲̗͂̔̀̈̈ͅt̸̺̾̌͐̑̔͋̓. 

“Don’t leave. Don’t leave. Don’t leave.”

And he didn’t. Somnus stayed, a frown on his mocking face. It twisted into a sneer but still his hands stayed. 

“I’m sorry,” Somnus said.

_Dark dark dark dark dark dark-_

**_Ŗ̴̟̝̝̫̳̥̥͎͕͛̈͂̈ ̶̢͚̣͓̆͛̐̈́͝ͅÉ̸̢̳̉̿̓̎̈́̂͘ ̸͚̗̹̰̩̼̙͑̌̉̀̿̚͘͜͜ͅU̸̘̼̯͌̊ ̵̖̱͔͐̂̄̇̇̔̂N̷̮̯̽̈́͝͠ ̷̢̹̐I̴̖͑͒̌͆̒͌͛ ̶̞͇̱͌̋̈̽͗͜O̷̹͆́̔͝ ̴̺̍̐͂̿̊̾̾̃̓͘N̷̬̩̞̞̪̟͚͕̗̾̆͐̓̽͘͘͠_ **

* * *

Noctis held Ardyn carefully as he dragged him further up the path. The stone gave way to a metal bar and he kept going. This place hadn’t been so bad in the beginning, weird certainly, but not scary. But watching Ardyn basically degrade in front of him while that voice from before begged him to leave Ardyn behind? 

Yeah, no. He wasn’t enjoying himself at all anymore. He was, in fact, achy and sore, in pain from his lower back cramping on him, terrified out of his mind for his husband’s health, and quite ready to leave. But he was forced to go forward. Even if he wanted to go back there was no way to bring Ardyn, and it was probably impossible with the rolling stone blocking their way up anyways.

His foot slipped and he grunted, trying to steady himself. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder, noted that he was almost to the top, and recommenced the dragging. Finally, _finally_ , he was on a stone path again gazing into another room. Gently, Ardyn was laid on the ground and Noctis took a moment to bend over and catch his breath, trying to ignore the burning in his legs. This was far more exercise than he should have had all in one day; first Ravatogh and now this Temple Trial.

With a deep pained breath, Noctis straightened and glanced around, noting the giant statue of a woman smackdab in the middle of empty space, and the two paths on either side of him. One of which looked inaccessible. Well, that made that easy.

**ɎØɄ ₦ɆɆĐ ₦Ø₮ ₲Ø ₣ɄⱤ₮ⱧɆⱤ.**

Noctis shrieked and whirled around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. The voice was echoing and… many, as if thousands were talking at once. It was, unfortunately, very familiar.

**₵Ø₥Ɇ, ₵Ⱨ₳₥₱łØ₦.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Please leave a comment because they most certainly give me life and the will to write ;)
> 
> For those of you that have trouble reading past the daemonic font here are the translations in order:  
> 1\. They would never let him go.  
> 2\. Let us out.  
> 3\. Let us fight.  
> 4\. Let us unite.  
> 5\. Reunion.  
> 6\. They stole it.  
> 7\. rot  
> 8\. R E U N I O N


	5. Hyper Thymesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ancient events relived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point I should probably make this a 7 crossover with hints of others >>  
> ANYWAY! My headcanon of the beginnings of Eos and the Astral War. Ya'll can thank my discord server for refining it cause PHONI I LOVE YOU AND YOU'RE AMAZING. They're so patient with me ;^;
> 
> Enjoy!

Noctis screamed as the stones fell beneath his feet. He tried to catch the still solid ones, holding Ardyn’s body, but failed. They passed through his fingers, incorporeal, like a glitch in a game.

He fell and _fell and_ **_llǝɟ._ **

**ⱠØØ₭ ₩ɆⱠⱠ ₵Ⱨ₳₥₱łØ₦. ₳₦Đ ⱤɆ₥Ɇ₥฿ɆⱤ**.

* * *

_“Divine Etro, go peacefully to your rest. I will stand guard over your legacy.”_

_When he looks up there is a throne, made of pure crystal and obsidian surrounded by falling white feathers. He knows what he must do._

_“This endless realm is awash with sadness. Life and Death lose all meaning under the rolling waves of chaos.”_

**_Valhalla._ **

_“The currents of time do not touch its shores. In this world of lost moments, I begin my life anew.”_

_He stepped forward, the air beneath his feet replaced by feathers as he made his way to the throne. He will be there to watch Her bloom once again. And when She does. SHE WILL BE BEAUTIFUL._

_He sat carefully, respectfully, on the throne, leaning back into the echoes of warmth. He could feel her echo, the last remnants of her power, fading now that there was a guardian; now that her wishes had been fulfilled. And in that throne he could feel New Beginnings, Creation from Destruction. He settled with a sigh, eyes wide with vigilance._

_He could not wait to see what new Life would spring forth. What new End would restart the cycle._

* * *

**_₮ⱧɆ ฿Ɇ₲ł₦₦ł₦₲._ **

_He was young and eager. Learning and Expanding, Creating and Watching._

_There was never an End for though His Life came back to Him, He sent them out again and again. Their experiences came back with them, giving Him more Life and Power._

_He Watched and Loved. And soon, He was loved back. His Life discovered His Love and wanted to rejoice and share it. With glee, His gift of Voice was soon passed down from his Champion. It was a time of Revelry and Life._

_Gaia, they named Him, and Minerva, they named His Champion._

* * *

**_฿Ʉ₮ ₴Ø₥Ɇ₮Ⱨł₦₲ ⱤɄł₦ɆĐ ₮ⱧɆ ₱ɆⱤ₣Ɇ₵₮ ₵łⱤ₵ⱠɆ_ **

_He watched with horror at the approaching fire in the sky; were it not surrounded by it’s own fire there would be no light to see for it blotted the sun out completely. His livestock, normally so calm and peaceful were bleating loudly in terror trying to run from their pens. His mother ran into the pens, her heavy jacket thrown on haphazardly to ward away the chill of snow. Her dark hair was free around her shoulders, falling in tangled waves and her dark eyes were wild with fear._

_“We must go,” she cried. “We must go!”_

_So they ran leaving their little homestead and panicking animals, though he tried to scoop up a goat or two. His heart pounded in his ears alongside the screams of the animals he so cared for. His feet could not move fast enough, they were going to die! He did not want to die!_

_They ran and ran, heart drumming, legs aching. They went miles and miles (one goat lost as it writhed too much) and he glanced back-_

_Those next few moments he cannot remember. It was a jumbled mess of noise -_ ringingringingringing- _, pain -_ ithurtitburnedithurt-, _and the taste of dirt that settled like mud on his tongue. His vision was blurry and he gazed around, barely able to lift his head. Everything around him looked to be blown over by a massive wind. The small trees in the area were completely uprooted and upon one of them was the still form of his mother. When he tried to call for her there was nothing but a croak and the taste of iron in the back of his throat._

_But, he needed to get to his mother. Needed her to be alright._

_He crawled, ever so slowly, ever so painfully, off the body of the hornless nanny that had been crushed beneath him. She could be mourned later, along with the rest of the stock. First his mother._

_When he finally reached her, the dust that had blotted the warmth and light of the sun, had somewhat settled and he could see the blood on her forehead, congealed into a dark mess that matched the rest of their surroundings._

_“Mo-moth-,” he croaked. Fingers reaching ever close with each pitiful scrabble, he cried out louder and louder each try. “Mother!”_

_When her eyes flickered open, he finally allowed himself to cry and thank Gaia for her kindness. Death was not to be feared as Cetra could still speak to their ancestors… but he did not want to lose her physical form just yet. Speaking from Gaia’s embrace was different from grounding physical touch experienced upon Her shell._

_“My baby,” she murmured in a dull rasp. Her eyes were dull and dark but clear. “My baby.”_

_“I’m here, Mother. I’m here.”_

_And there they stayed, huddled together for warmth until they were forced to move with the lowering of the sun. These lands were not to be faced in the dark at this time of year, the chill would cull them quickly. It was with a slow shambling limp that they picked their way through the wreckage towards their homestead. There was little chance it survived but they could only hope for shelter._

_And though they knew it, it was still devastating to see the carnage that had been wrought. Their little cabin was gone and animals were scattered and skewered in various forms and pieces. The only relief they had was warmth brought about by the death from the skies. The impacted site, the crater formed just beyond where they had lived since he’d been born, was radiating enough heat to completely melt the snow around them. It turned the ground to schloppy mush that was determined to keep hold of their feet._

_It was also gigantic and terrifying for what had the power to create such a mark upon Gaia? He looked over the lip of the upturned dirt gazing at the carnage. It was deep and long. He could hardly see in the darkening skies and it seemed that he couldn’t even see the other side of the wreckage, it was so vast. A touch on his shoulder made him jump and almost tumble into the crater._

_“Mother?”_

_“We must gather what we can to make a shelter… perhaps closer to the site where it will be warmer in the chill of the night.”_

_“Yes, Mother.”_

_It was a long, grueling task made more difficult by the fading light around them but in the end they were hardy people. Task accomplished, they slept as much as they could._

_It was the next day his mother decided to investigate. They traveled carefully down the slippery ropes, deep into the mountains and it’s network of caves that had been interrupted by a rock crashing straight through them. There were quite a few frozen carcasses they might be able to make use of if they could haul them out._

_It was that day when he lost her to whatever evil had ridden upon the death rock. For she turned to him, eyes glowing red after slowly patting the rock (it was smaller than he had thought based on the disaster it had caused) to test the lingering heat, and hair floating behind her as if caught underwater._

_“Mother,” he called unsurely. “Are you okay?”_

_“M̵̧̱̹͙̭̮̹͈̉͜͜ȍ̷̥͔͍̹̭̩̭͙̊̎͂͗́͝͝t̵̢̨̛̯̲͎̺̩̮̒̐͊̎̈́h̴̛̻͍̽̓̅̀̇e̴͈̪̦̦͉̺̜̾͋̐̏̚̕̕͠r̵̳͕̻̩̲͓̮̪̆̿̓͠. I̸̘͓͎̳͓̖̖̥̫͌̽͌̉͆̓̆ͅ ̵̮̻̱͇͑͌̆̏̾̅͂͘̚ͅ ̵͇̺͍̰͇̄A̷̠̜̼̘̦̣̳͐́̽̊ ̵̱̪̯̽̎̆͆̾̒͝ ̴̩̖͚͖̺͔̱̈́̐̌͊͌̓̅͆ͅṀ̷̳̪̔͋̅̀̄̊̏͠ ..._ **_Mother_ ** _.”_

_It was only a second later her hands were cradling his face in a mocking parody of his mother’s normally tender embrace. The touch burned. He didn’t even feel his neck snap._

* * *

**_₱Ⱡ₳₦Ɇ₮฿₳₦Ɇ_ **

_“Ho there,” he called, pulling his horses to a stop, along with the cart attached to them. “Are you alright?”_

_With a quick hop his bare feet settled on the dirt as he jogged over to the woman huddled under a tree. Her dark hair was a mess, ratted and snarled in some nasty looking tangles and her raggedly clothed form was completely covered in a layer of dirt and mud. When she looked up, quiet sobs halting at the sight of him, her eyes were a strange red filled with more unshed tears._

_“My son,” she hiccuped with another sob. “I’ve lost my son.”_

_And that was all he needed to know to usher onto his cart. He was traveling home and this woman needed someone to be with her. His wife would be perfect for that._

_On the road he found out she was from a small place up in the mountains, the one that had recently been cratered by a giant stone falling from the sky. Her son had been lost to her then and she had wandered down the mountain with no rest and no food for days. His wife was just as horrified as him when they found out and they prayed to Gaia to help this woman. That they received no answer was strange but nothing too uncommon. Gaia was expansive and very very busy, she could not respond to all of them for such minor things._

_For the next few days, he watched and helped in the caring for this new woman. They bathed and dressed her, marvelling at how her silver hair -free of the dirt coloring it’s strands- paired with her red eyes. It was such a unique sight that he would never forget the moment his wife walked out of their small house with her. His jaw had dropped and -_ beautifulsobeautifulhewantedher- _he smiled at her. He was quite pleased when she smiled back._

_He was not nearly so pleased when she was shoving her blood down his throat after calling her family a few weeks later._

* * *

**_ĐɆVØɄⱤɆⱤ_ **

_“I am Eternal! You cannot kill me,” she cackled, swiping her hand and sending hundreds flying with just one motion._

_He ignored her (ignored his brothers and sister dying, ignored the screaming and the blood, ignored it all because he had to), focusing on chanting and guiding Gaia’s power through him. Perhaps they could not kill her, no, but she could be bound. Would be bound. An eternal prison for the sins that had been committed against the Cetra. Like a parasite she had weaved herself amongst them with smiles and cruel eyes, turning family against family. He would not stand for it any longer._

_(Because It pained him to think of his little brother, so sweet and calm, raging against him. His beautiful little brother that turned and murdered their mother and father claiming it was for ‘mother’. The memory of how he had to snap his own blood’s neck and burn the ashes so he would finally stop moving- He was haunted for life. Grieving and hating.)_

_Even if it were to kill him now, she would atone._

_“Mother Gaia, she who grants and she who takes, allow me your strength so that I may strike this beast where it stands and cast it into an eternal prison.”_

_The power that flowed through him -_ finally he could hear his mother and father but where was his brother?- _burned in his veins like molten lava melting him from the inside. He would not fall here, though. She would. The pain was nothing to that of his heart and he welcomed it gladly. His sacrifice would save the rest of his people and Gaia’s newest and youngest children. His sacrifice meant the continuation of everything. It meant being reunited with the Lost in Gaia’s embrace, finally returning to the Promised Land._

_And so they fought all the way back to the accursed rock she had come from. It was a perfect anchor to bind her form to, the perfect gathering point to throw all the beasts and broken pieces of the ones infected onto. He threw her at the very top of the pile, ignoring her rage and last desperate attempt to destroy him. The bottom of her body merged with the rest of the pile, crawling up her legs like living armor forming. He ignored that too, instead letting Gaia have control as his soul was sent on._

_The cage was already built, the activation short, and there the creature stayed trapped in ice and Mother Gaia’s crystal for forever._

* * *

**_₣ØⱤɆVɆⱤ ₩₳₴ ₦Ø₮ Ɇ₦ØɄ₲Ⱨ_ **

_How could this have happened? Had he let this happen? Should he have tried to reach out to him more? Whatever the answer, he had to fix this. Now. His honor as a SOLDIER demanded it._

_And there he was, silver hair cascading down his back as he looked up at a metal contraption in the facsimile of a woman with wings for arms. Why in the world was that sitting in a reactor? It was bad enough seeing all those pods out in the entrance but this?_

_“Mother, Let’s take back the planet together. I… I had an epiphany. Let’s go to the promised land… Mother….”_

_“Sephiroth,” he yelled, needing the man to answer him. Needing the consolation and wanting the camaraderie they had had before. “Why did you kill the townspeople? Why did you hurt Tifa? Answer me!”_

_Though he was passionate and honest, all he received was a chuckle as his General spread his arms out as if to receive religious revelation. What was going through his head? Sephiroth had always been hard to read but this… this was beyond anything he’d yet to encounter with the man yet._

_“Mother, they're here again. You should have ruled this planet. You were stronger, smarter. But then they came. Those inferior dullards… They came and took this planet away from you. But don’t be sad, Mother. I am with you now…”_

_And then he ripped the metal statue away revealing a truly terrifying sight. It made his head ring and his stomach churn just to look at the mutated thing in the tank. He couldn’t let whatever this was continue! Whatever that thing was, it couldn’t be Sephiroth’s mother and he would make the man see reason. Whatever he’d been reading in that library had obviously messed with his mind._

_Well, a few whacks to the head ought to do it right?_

* * *

**_₮ⱧɆ VłⱤɄ₴ ₴₱ⱤɆ₳Đ ĐɆɆ₱_ **

_He watched him fight over and over again, standing by his side. But no matter how many times Sephiroth was killed, he kept coming back. He was old now, he knew. His joints cracked when he threw a punch and his knees ached when he landed jumps. His fighting days were near its end._

_But still he had to help. He couldn’t just leave Cloud to deal with everything by himself forever. So he went to the church and he prayed. Over and over he asked for a way, anything to save Cloud from his never aging -but still sick, so sick- life. And finally… she answered. Her voice was soft and whispery as if she was straining to even speak._

_“Gaia… cannot fight her with how weak she is. Eventually she too will succumb and you’ve already started seeing some of the symptoms.”_

_Yes, he had. It was horrifying to see so many thought cured of Geostigma to once again fall prey to it. To see Denzel grow weaker and weaker every year as everyone around him scrambled to find something to help. Aerith’s water could slow the symptoms but it didn’t help much because it only came back faster and harder. And Cloud… sweet, stupid Cloud had a resurgance of symptoms in the last few years as well._

_And that was only the most obvious. Nanaki had quietly reported to them some time ago that even Cosmo Canyon could not feel the Lifestream anymore and Mideel was also suffering from that. There were less births each year as creating a life became harder and harder… Even the monsters and plant life was showing the signs of the weakening planet._

_‘Symptoms’ was a generous way to describe the horrifying reality that they had been too late._

_“There must be something,” he begged. He’d known Cloud since childhood, knew how stubborn he was. Knew how fragile he was. He had to help. And Denzel was his adopted kid in all but paperwork. He couldn’t leave them like this._

_“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “The only way to succeed… is to usher everyone back into Her stream. To start anew. That much of the lifestream returning...”_

_“What,” he gasped. There was no way. For all of their fighting to be for naught? “Aerith please,” he begged._

_“I’m sorry.”_

_He cried that night. And all the nights following as he explained to the group what had been said (without Cloud, of course because he couldn’t lay that burden on him. Not yet). None of them wanted to believe it._

_“The longer we wait… the worse off Gaia will be.”_

_“How would we even…? We can’t jus’ go on a murder spree, Vince.”_

_“How bout we send Shinra packing first! It’s all his daddy’s fault in the first damn place. If his greedy planet-sucking-”_

_“Barret, yelling isn’t going to help right now,” Yuffie cut in morosely. Her normally poised stature was slumped back into the seats of his bar table._

_“Maybe… it can be painless,” he suggested softly._

_He glanced around at the solemn faces sitting in his well worn bar. For these people he would make sure of it._

_“Reeve… might have the resources.”_

_They glanced at the small cat sitting on the bartop. Where once his fur had been pristine, there were patches that were shorter than rest, the synthetic fur being burned or cut away and not having the resources to replace it. It curled in some places and looked dirty in others. His small crown was cracked and crooked and his white gloves were more of creamy dirt smudged color lately. He looked as worn and haggard as the rest of them._

_“I ken certainly try ta ask ‘im,” the AI hummed, swishing his feet._

_“It would be appreciated,” he sighed, feeling as if the weight of the entire world was crushing him. Was this how Cloud felt all the time? Well, it certainly explained his broodiness…_

_A few months later, Reeve pulled through after collaborating with a dying Tseng. There was a sleeping gas that could certainly kill people painlessly. It wasn’t often used because it required too large a quantity to work quickly… but if everyone just sat there? It would work. They could do this._

_It wasn’t until thousands had already passed (the first of them leaving pits of still, orderly sitting skeletons as Gaia did not even have the power to summon them back entirely) that they started seeing anything happen. Births had entirely stopped, plants and monsters were disappearing in random wisps of green; and though it hurt, he was glad. This way they could all rest and the planet would not succumb to Jenova._

* * *

**_₩ł₮Ⱨ ₮ⱧɆ ₲ł₣₮ Ø₣ ₥Ɏ ₵ⱧłⱠĐⱤɆ₦_ **

**_₩Ɇ ₴Ʉ₵₵ɆɆĐɆĐ_ **

**_₣ØⱤ ₳ ₮ł₥Ɇ_ **

_He Rejoiced in His Victory. Though not Destroyed, the Virus was trapped and inaccessible to ignorant and greedy children._

_Now He could Renew and celebrate Life once more. Though diminished He still held onto His children, cradling their Essence and Experience carefully. They deserved Life again. He could not give it the same as it was before but perhaps… Some of their Essence could remain to live the lives they should have had._

_Yes. He was very fond of this Idea. This would be their Gift in return for their Sacrifice._

_Though His Champions would remain with him, always. They deserved Rest. And He required protection._

_This time He was named by his Guardians; Eos, for the New Dawn._

* * *

**_₲Ʉ₳ⱤĐł₳₦₴ ₩ɆⱤɆ ₳₱₱Øł₦₮ɆĐ_ **

**_Ⱡł₣Ɇ ₱ɆⱤ₴ɆⱤVɆⱤɆĐ_ **

_“We have been blessed! Praise the Astral of Fire, Ifrit!”_

_And so they had been, he couldn’t help but think as he stared at the glowing rock in front of him. Decades it had been in their hands, a gift from their patron, but it was only now that he had finally unlocked its potential. Solheim would dominate after this. He would be sure of it. They would be self-sufficient, beyond needing trade or protection from other countries._

_“You’ve done it, boy!”_

_A warmth spread in his chest and he reveled in his accomplishments. Yes. Yes, he certainly had. Never again would his country need to kowtow and grovel, never again would people be lost to starvation._

_Except over time he could see that is not exactly what others intended with it. Yes, they wanted to do all those things too but for all the wrong reasons. He wanted Solheim to stand tall and proud, they wanted Solheim to conquer their neighbors._

_“We could use this!”_

_He glared at the council, staring down at them with burning eyes. To seek to use his work like this? What exactly were they thinking? The crystal was meant to be for life. Ifrit had provided for them a means for survival, just like fire provided warmth and a means to boil their water and cook their food. Did they not understand that untamed fire like they sought to use, was dangerous? There was no distinction between friend or foe, only wanton destruction._

_“And I say you are all mad,” he cried as they turned their hungry greedy eyes to him. There would be no saving these men from their own self assured destruction but at least he could seek to save his country from the wreck it would cause afterwards._

_He left that room quickly, ears burning with rage and hardly paying attention-_

_He ended up on the floor, a serving girl on her back in front of him. She was quick to scramble up, brushing her hair from her face as she panted, “Oh, I’m so sorry, My Lord, please forgive my transgression.”_

_He couldn’t help but stare at her, for her beauty was beyond even that of Shiva. Somehow, he knew then and there (ass planted on the rough stones and staring like an imbecile) that she would be the only one for him._

_“Pay no mind to it,” he huffed after a moment, pulling himself from the floor while she hovered anxiously about him. “And what is your name?”_

_She cringed -more than likely fearing reprimand- but gave it anyway, “Binah.”_

_“A pleasure.”_

_And what a pleasure it was. Binah was quite the tough nut to crack and he had to dance his way through the halls to avoid political scandals just to find her. But eventually his wooing seemed to win her over, and while their country was at war conquering the entire land mass around them, he was getting married to his beloved Binah. And one year later they had a beautiful baby girl and their country was almost completely finished with this continent and ready to move onto the next._

_But as always, there was a song and dance to be followed and he had to carefully control the release of weapons that could be made from the Crystal’s powers. And there were a lot of people that didn’t like that._

_“Are they still arguing,” Binah asked one day when he came home from a very tiring day at the capital._

_He frowned. Not only were they arguing, but they were blind too. Blind to the dangers of the fanatic sect forming. He bounced his babe on his knee, watching her auburn curls sway. He couldn’t let anyone harm his family. He would need to look into where this cult was stemming from and see if he couldn’t cut them out at the root._

_Except that was a mistake… or he wasn’t careful enough. Whatever the reason, they found out it was him blocking their political advances and killing their men in secret. They found out about his family that he never mentioned in the political scene. And they wanted revenge. His family for theirs they said._

_As if they knew what an actual family entailed; avaricious, barbaric, charlatans the lot of them were. Unfortunately, they had power backing them and now… well..._

_“Please,” he begged crawling as fast as he could on hands and knees, one arm wrapped securely around his three year old daughter. Every cry and whimper set his mind ablaze with fear but drenched his heart in icy grief. His beautiful wonderful wife… and now they sought his daughter; his bundle of joy that lit up a room with her smile and warmth._

_The temple was not safe enough for his liking but it was safer than anywhere else. It was the only place he could think to go in this state._

_“Please, Ifrit, hear me.”_

_This was his last chance to save her. Already he was done, for the wound in his gut had bled at least an hour, but at least he could save her. “Save her, I beg thee. With the last of my breath and my heart full of faith, I offer myself as sacrifice. Please… please…”_

_The altar was cool under his touch as he laid her up on it. He could only hope, only pray-_

* * *

**_₩ł₮Ⱨ Ⱡł₣Ɇ ₵Ø₥Ɇ₴ ₩łⱠⱠ_ **

**_₳₦Đ Ɇ₥Ø₮łØ₦_ **

_His first memories come in flashes of light and color and sound. After that it is little snippets, half remembered scenes filled with raw emotions that make little sense. Not that he dwells on memories too often, life is too engaging and fun in the present to spare much time for the past. But he’d been… left alone lately. It was very strange indeed for his guardians had never left for such a long period of time before._

_It was startlingly lonely without him. Their little flat in the middle of Ildstead was constantly surrounded by the noise of the city; the people chattering a low hum, the clattering of vehicles and transporters almost like a background musical accompaniment. Still, despite all that, he sat here waiting for Gentiana and Kniphofia because they were the only two he truly felt connected with._

_Sure, he’d met plenty of people (been introduced to the priests of Ifrit’s temple, wandered the lands of Solheim greeting everyone with enthusiasm) but they never had the same feel to them. Compared to his guardians most people were… empty. The only thing that came close to them was the one time he had snuck close enough to the throne room while Kniph had been talking to diplomats. There was a power that radiated there, one he felt so keenly he’d been tempted just to waltz into the room to see what was letting off such a magnificent blaze of pure power. He’d been caught before that but still- every now and then the thought still crossed his mind._

_Of course, Kniph would chide him in his funny way of roundabout words if he knew what he was thinking. But he was bored! He wasn’t supposed to leave the flat without supervision because something could happen to him but he was honestly tempted. At twelve years of age he should be free to wander about as he pleased! He was almost legally an adult -only a few more years!- anyhow so it wasn't fair at all._

_That settled it. He was going out! He’d rather take the talking to from Kniph and Tia than sit another minute bored and staring at a wall. It would have been better if Kniph had left Pryna or Tia had left Umbra but no! He was left here by himself, bored out of his mind. If only he could have a dog as well… Ah, but then Pryna might get huffy. Umbra would probably be fine but Kniph’s dog was so picky; annoying little white furball._

_With a harumph, he stalked over to his closet, grabbing a sheer shawl to cover his shoulders from the burning sun and glanced in the mirror. He wore bare sandals that strapped up his legs (enough to protect his soles from the baking ground), a long white sleeveless dress that brushed against his shins, and his chosen blue shawl. His hair was short and dark red, brushing his chin in small waves... and a bit of a tangled mess from lying about but the wind was rather strong today so that wouldn’t be too much of a problem. His skin was tanned and his eyes were a bright blue (a rare feature he’d noticed and he treasured it as it set him apart) and he looked overall like a common child. Perhaps the blue shawl would give him away, though. Maybe a different one would be better? But he did so love this one as it was Tia who’d gifted it to him._

_Better to be safer, though, he decided, swapping out the blue shawl for an older brown one. He’d much prefer his gift as it made him feel safer and most times kept him cooler, but anonymity was important. He knew because his guardians had told him many times. Besides this one was a better match for Kniphofer’s style and he did so love him. When he grew up he was most definitely going to wear something like his white shirt, maroon vest, and smooth pants. Perhaps he could even figure out a way to turn his hair ashy gray and everyone would think they were related; it was a very uncommon color after all!_

_It was quite easy to just walk out the door but he knew Tia and Kniph would know. He could never figure out how they could tell but he didn’t want them to rush their business just for him. Instead, he went for the window in his room. The opaque glass was easy to pop out of place but after that it was tricky. He could not turn the glass and bring it inside, so he had to hold it as he crawled out onto the little overhang that birds loved to visit him on. Once outside, the warm winds caressing his bare skin playfully, he carefully shifted around so he could pop the window back into place. It wasn’t perfect -of course not, he wanted to get back in after all- but it looked neat enough that no one would know what happened unless they were closely inspecting it. Considering it was on the third floor, he doubted that would be happening any time soon._

_With a lot of satisfaction and eagerness driving his actions, he slipped his legs over the edge and twisted so he was on his belly, his arms the only thing keeping him up. Not many people looked up but he’d rather get this done quickly just in case. With that in mind, he pushed back until it was only his hands holding him over the drop and scrunched his legs in front of him so they rested against the warm wall. Then he pushed off, letting go and dropping a full story, until his hands caught the next overhang and his feet dragged against the wall to slow his momentum. He did it again and this time his dress brushed the ground as he caught himself inches from it._

_With a delighted giggle, he set himself up straight -reveling in the ache of his muscles- and wandered from the little side alley into the main push and pull tide of the crowd. It was strange being outside without his guardians. There was a sense of freedom but also terror. He wasn’t a coward though so he pushed on, stopping at little market stalls to check for new wares and glancing in open doors for anything interesting. Many people greeted him with a smile and he responded in kind, adding a little wave._

_For hours he just looked and walked, not even keeping track of which streets he was on (he knew the whole city anyway so once he stopped to find out where he was it would be easy to go back). Until he bumped into a young priest from Ifrit’s temple who looked terribly surprised to see him out and about._

_“My Lady,” he murmured softly, voice wobbling. “Whatever are you doing out without the High Messenger?”_

_He frowned and responded with a huff, “I’m old enough to be on my own!”_

_“You certainly are, My Lady,” another voice chuckled. He jumped and spun around. High Priest Aksel stood not two feet away, eyeing him rather… well, he couldn’t quite explain what the look was but it made him very uncomfortable. Something was screaming inside of him that he should leave. Before he could even think to respond to it the High Priest spoke again. “Pray tell, would you be interested in a visit to the temple?”_

_“The temple? I’ve seen everything there,” he said, glancing around for a way out. The street they were on was more residential, nothing like the crowded market stalls near his own home. There weren’t very many people around and many of them were paying no mind to the business of the priests. Not many ever did unless it involved them directly._

_“Ah, perhaps-” but the young priest was cut off by High Priest Aksel. “Nonsense! You’ve seen all the kid friendly sections and those open to the public. But have you seen the library, my dear? An inquisitive mind such as yours deserves to be fed after all.”_

_“Library,” he exclaimed. “I did not know there was a library!”_

_He loved to read. In fact he often pestered Tia for stories of history and times past so he could keep himself company when they were gone for short periods of time._

_“Indeed there is.” His face grew very solemn and grave. “But only adults are allowed there as the books are old and must be respected. You are a very beloved member of our Temple and very respectful… I think perhaps I could make an exception.”_

_Nothing would stop him from experiencing this! He’d never been in a library before._

_“My Lady,” the young priest stuttered quietly as they followed Head Priest Aksel. “My Lady, I do not think you should go-”_

_“Do you think I am still a child then? Not ready?”_

_“Wha- No! No… this is not-”_

_“Nikolai! Come walk with me. We must discuss those preparations we were speaking of earlier.”_

_He watched the young man speed up a bit to walk next to his Head Priest. The boy’s shoulders were slumped and his voice was soft. He was quite the unusual one. Many of the Temple were fiery and aggressive, this man seemed softer than them. Like embers that could warm you on a cold night. Strange but he kind of liked him even if the priest thought he was still too young to fit his image of a priest. That could be dealt with, after all._

_The walk was rather long, apparently he’d made his way all the way to the outskirts of the city without realizing, and it was getting dark. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d slept at the temple. But the feel of it was quite different from when he normally went. It could almost be described as… hungry?_

_And only a few minutes after walking through the doors, he knew he’d made a mistake._

_Everything happened so fast. Nikolai had shouted at him to run (apparently his courage had found itself in the face of all the other priests) and he’d been startled; he’d done nothing but stand there. That was his first mistake, as another priest quickly took him to the ground and restrained him. Before he could scream, or call for help, his mouth was bound with a filthy rag that tasted disgustingly like rot and iron._

_His second mistake was not fighting. In his confusion and terror, he’d laid limply, allowing them to maneuver him and drag him away. Perhaps if he’d fought someone could have been alerted. Maybe even Kniphofer would have known as it was taking place in the temple of Ifrit and he was the Astral’s messenger._

_His third mistake came later, after long hours spent struggling against the heavy iron that bound him. They removed him from the small cell of a room and dragged him through tunnels he hadn’t even known existed. He fought and screamed the whole way to no avail, only adding more bruises and scrapes to his already impressive repertoire. When he was thrown down in front of a giant floating rock, one that glimmered with that power he had found so tantalizing, he couldn’t help but stare at its mesmerizing form._

_“Let the sacrifice begin,” came the throaty voice of Head Priest Aksel._

_Sacrifice? No… No, what was this? What were they doing?_

_With terror levels climbing and a heart beating in his throat, he struggled against the strong hands that dragged him forward. He was strong, had always been because of his adventures, but he was still young and small and stood no bodily chance against these priests. So he screamed in his mind and at the crystal and as loud as he could through the rag in his mouth. He screamed for his guardians and pleaded for mercy._

_And thus, his third mistake._

_Kniphofer must have heard him for there was a terrible roar and only moments later a hand made of fire came crashing through the roof of (what he vaguely recognized as the throne room) the building squashing and incinerating several men._

_“Perfect,” Aksel laughed. “Perfect! Perfect little girl. Now with your blood let Ifrit be bound.”_

_His final mistake cost a god, an Astral their freedom. With his life bleeding from his neck he begged Ifrit to run, begged the Astral to tell his guardian he loved them_

**_But please please run…_ **

* * *

**_₩ł₮Ⱨ ₩łⱠⱠ ₳₦Đ Ɇ₥Ø₮łØ₦_ **

**_₵Ø₥Ɇ₴ ₴ł₦_ **

_He breathed deeply, glaring at the crystal before him. For years, his patron Ifrit had been trapped inside of it because of the Astrals' own priests turning on him. Well, no longer. It had taken many dark nights and backstreet allies to accomplish this but here he stood; Knowledge and Power waiting for him to utilise it._

_With Shiva’s blessing in freeing her beloved (a whole year to travel to find her and get her blessing- a whole year almost wasted) he could access the power in the crystal. As he laid his hands upon the cool rock, he knew instantly what he would cast. It was strong, much stronger than even his life force could give but he could be the key to the lock, the smelling salt to wake the slumbering Astral._

_With a hum of pure power, the crystal started glowing. It was loud and bright enough that guards were sure to come running but by then it would be too late._

**_Meteor_ ** _._

_It was draining, so very very draining. It felt as if the very marrow of his bones were being sucked into the gleaming rock before him. But still it was not enough, for he had yet to reach the cage inside. With the last bits of his energy (bolstered by Shiva’s blessing) he pushed forward ignoring the kaleidoscope of rainbow energy around him._

_The Astral Plane. He did not know how he knew but he did and this was exactly where he needed to be. Completely ignoring his flaking body he set forward to the large cage in the distance. Even from afar he could tell it was a gruesome sight, made from flesh, and sinew, and bone at once too big and too small to possibly contain what it did._

_But he had a job to do and thinking of the method of the cage would do him no good._

_“Ifrit,” he called, listening to his voice echo and be swallowed into the void. “I have come to free you, My Patron, My God. So that you might have your revenge. And set our country back to rights.”_

~~_REVENGE? IT WILL BE A SLAUGHTER_ ~~

_He sucked in a sharp breath at the voice that burned through his mind like a wildfire, crackling and nearly destroying everything in its path. It was quite painful, truth be told, and he almost lost his thought. But he was determined._

_“If that is to be our punishment, let it be so! I will not live past this after all,” he finished grimly._

~~_THEN RELEASE ME MORTAL SO I MAY STRIKE FEAR INTO THE LAND_ ~~

~~_NEVER AGAIN WILL THEY REPEAT THIS MISTAKE_ ~~

_He gagged slightly at the unbearable heat the words brought to him, leaning over his half formed torso, barely noticing as more pieces flaked away in the ether. Yes, he would do this._

_And he did. Gathering the last bits of his very self, he settled along parts of the living cage and ate away at it. Losing himself was worth it._

_Except… in the end… he survived. He was very much lesser, his body aching and throbbing in unnatural ways, memories missing and thoughts not quite able to form… but he lived. He lived enough to help his Astral._

_He was there to watch the resulting fallout, the magic of the crystal completing its job by summoning a giant rock from space. In a daze he watched from amidst Ifrit’s palm, thousands of meters in the air, as it plummeted directly into Ildstead. The resulting destruction was… outstanding. There was no longer a capital of Solheim, only a giant crater in the ground with mountains of earth standing like sentinels all around it._

_He could not hear his God in the mortal plane, it would literally kill him to do so- but there was a connection. One formed on the Astral plane that kept him alive and kept him sane enough to help. With that connection he knew exactly what they were going to do next._

_Using the resulting energy gathered about the destruction, the Astral forced open the gates of the very earth beneath their feet until all he could see was greengreengreen. From there, he knew he lost even more of himself, all that was left was a follower of Ifrit, willing and eager to serve -the connection saved him againagainagain-. With mortal hands to guide the way, Ifrit scoured the land of the dead (though calling it a land was a bit of a misnomer as it… just was)._

_But they found something else first. Or perhaps it found them. A writhing mass of screaming ooze that quickly took advantage of their surprise. He took the brunt of it, with only some clinging to Ifrit’s form like a pernicious film. They fled quickly from that, hiding and running and hiding. Eventually, their goal was achieved._ _Åse was found and retrieved, though she was spread thin and fading just as he himself was. Her connection had been to her flesh, stretched and grotesque as it had been, and without the cage she was washing away just like the souls were supposed to. But that was not what they wanted, so they fled._

_The way out was easy to find but could not be shut from the outside. So he stayed, while his God left with precious cargo. He stayed, shut the doors, and turned to find a field of white lilies._

_“Oh,” he murmured with what was left of his voice. “I see.”_

_So this was peace found only in death._

* * *

**_₮ⱧɆ VłⱤɄ₴ ₮ⱧⱤłVɆ₴ Ø₦ ₴ł₦_ **

_He cowered under the base of the ancient tree, one of the few left standing after the utter destruction some of the Astral had wrought. To the left sat an enormous glacier and to his right an entire lake that did not exist mere moments ago._

_He clenched the heavy rock in his fist, the one he had found and had been wanting to polish for his sister just earlier, and prayed. He prayed for his family's health, he prayed for the survival of humanity, and he prayed that whatever had upset the Astrals so would be taken care of._

_An entire wall of stone erupted right in front of him and not two seconds later there was an intense heat as the Astral Ifrit fell in front of him. There was a garbled scream of pain and rage (and he chanced an upwards glance to see the Astrals leg speared by Titan’s earth) and then two intensely glowing yellow eyes were staring at him. Ifrit glanced at his clasped hands, his heat intensifying abruptly, and then gently opened his closed fist. A small girl tumbled from his palms, bleeding heavily and barely conscious. There was smoke rising from her form and she seemed to be missing entire chunks of skin._

_There was a look then that he would remember later in life when he was hiding Åse from a world that would lynch her for her connection to Ifrit. It was a look of pleading, of a God brought low and desperate enough to turn to mortal men. It was not a look he could ignore, especially with the black liquid leaking from his eyes like tarred tears. It was not a look he did ignore. As soon as Ifrit had stumbled up and away, launching the very spear that had pinned him -with a little extra molten bits- back at another Astral, he crawled over to the girl._

_It was a very unflattering sight, her skin was cracked like fissure in multiple places though very little blood was leaking from the wounds. Red was smeared heavily amidst the dirt and mud that had ruined what looked to be a white desert dress. Still, he saw no actual leaking blood for the amount she seemed to be covered in. But she was still moaning as if in agony and despite no fatal wounds, the fissures were swollen and hot around the edges. He grasped his rock in one hand allowing the pitiful energy he’d saved from before the crystal shattered and allowed it to infuse into the steady element. The rock gleamed in his hand, the veins of white turning a steady gold on the background of black as he laid it upon her brow._

_He always did work better with a focus. And if his last act was one of healing -Astral begged or not- he would have no regrets._

* * *

**_₳₦Đ ₣ɆĐ Ø₦₵Ɇ ₳₲₳ł₦_ **

_He looked down at his son, four years old and so strong, with a frown. His child was close to the year of Naming and never yet had a problem or illness. He thought he’d been blessed -finally- by the Astrals with a strong, healthy boy. Except now he was lying in bed, shivers wracking his tiny frame and heavy sweat upon his brow. He took a moment to wipe it with a cool cloth again._

_His son was strong, he would live. It would not be fair to lose another one after finally getting so close!_

_He sighed and walked away from the bed to fetch another pot of water to put over the fire. When he came back inside he could not help but drop the heavy bucket and scream. There upon the bed was no longer his son, but a writhing beast filled with sharp teeth and black veins._

_“Momma. Momma it hurts,” it howled._

_He screamed louder before turning and running. He ignored the burning in his veins for surely it was only terror that drove him._

* * *

**_₥Ɏ ₲Ʉ₳ⱤĐł₳₦ ₲ⱤØ₩₴ ØVɆⱤⱫɆ₳ⱠØɄ₴_ **

_He let out a sigh, dragging one fingertip softly across the white lily petal. The Gods had chosen a king and he was to be the mouthpiece of delivery. He was worried. Somnus and Ardyn already had a chasm between them that was widening by the day. The contention between the Chosen King candidacy was only furthering that. Why could they not just get along like when they were all children? It had been much simpler and purer times then._

_It didn’t help that his worry was slightly unbalanced. Truly, he was supposed to be neutral; a vessel for the Gods' words was not supposed to have ‘attachments’. That was possibly the most unrealistic expectation and one he couldn’t… well, he was not an Astral and therefore not perfect. He loved Ardyn; a perfectly imperfect love. The Healer is a good man, righteous and idealistic, always looking out for his people. He admired the honesty and courage that took. Fell in love with it a long time ago. And they were arranged to be married as well! No, he was not impartial at all though he tried his best in all other areas._

_That still did not help with all the worry he held in his heart for his fiance. Though the Lucis Caelums had god-given magic, Ardyn was even more special because of his ability to heal the scourge. Or, what other people saw as healing. He knew better, of course. His lover took the scourge into himself making it seem like the others had been cured. And that… that was dangerous because Ardyn cared. He cared far too much and there was only so much he could do to ease his fiance’s pain when they were together. He had his own powers, god-given healing, and to a point it also worked to purge the scourge but… Ardyn took in too much too fast. If Ardyn waited to be purged of what he took in every day, he would not be healing enough people- or so the man had said the last time he’d snuck away to visit him and coo over some ancient ruins together._

_He sighed heavily and turned to Somnus who stood leaning against the pillars in the gardens, facing away. For this he would have to be careful and shrewd, not letting his emotions rule over caution._

_“Very well… If you desire it Somnus, you shall have my trust. And their decision.”_

_It had been Somnus that had been chosen after all. Perhaps now the brother’s would have a chance to reconcile. Ardyn had never wanted the throne, he knew, and Somnus believed that he would be better off on it. He’d never actually chosen between them before… well, no, that was a lie as he was engaged to one. He’d never chosen a side when they were fighting, though._

_Now he would have to, in a way; by divine decree he would side with Somnus for the throne. But with all the negative feelings separating the brothers what would that mean for Ardyn? His fiance had his own role to play, so said Bahamut the Bladekeeper, (but he had no idea of what it was) and Somnus had his own. Would Somnus and Ardyn play a part in each other’s fates? Would they heal their relationship or shatter it further?_

_“Then, Oracle, tell me… Who is the Chosen King?”_

_“Bahamut has chosen Somnus Lucis Caelum to be the King to lead us from this era and into the light.”_

_Somnus stepped from behind the pillar, eyes alight with an emotion that he could not parse. It made chills travel down his spine and he wondered if perhaps telling him was a mistake. ‘Twas too late now..._

_“Somnus…” He spoke quietly but with purpose. “What of your brother? My fiance? He will not come easily out of hiding and we both know he will not stop trying to save the people.”_

_Perhaps there was a bit of a plea in there, for himself to have his lover and for Somnus to accept his brother back._

_“Ardyn is a fool, a sentimental fool that believes he is the only one that can save the people. Obviously, his methods were not working and even the Gods agree that he is wrong.”_

_“Ardyn only wants to help. We both know his heart bleeds for the suffering... “_

_Somnus’ lips twisted briefly and he turned his head to the side, a classic thinking pose of his. It was strange to think that this man would sit the throne. He was a brutally efficient strategist and… though he cared not to admit it outside the confines of his own mind, Somnus’ methods were more effective than Ardyn’s own. He had no doubt the future King would be able to draw his brother out of hiding. But what method would he use and what would he do with him afterwards? Did Somnus still carry the love he had for his brother from when they were younger? Or did his bitterness swallow any positive emotions?_

_“My brother is far too... dutiful for his own good. Perhaps, a small lie would be enough to tempt him, hm? If he thinks it is he who must sit upon the throne, he will walk to it like a martyr to the pyre.”_

_He pursed his lips in thought. That was true… and it would lead to no bloodshed. Still, there was something in him that was wary._

_“And what of after? When he arrives with false assumptions?”_

_When Somnus turned back to him, that same light was in his eyes and the smile upon his lips seemed… almost cruel. But… no, he could not be thinking of his future brother-in-law like that. Somnus had yet to actually hurt his own brother no matter the heated arguments they got into and the soldiers sent out to look for him were to keep the man from further hurting himself._

_“We correct him. What else is there to be done? No one will fight if you are to announce the true ruler and by that time we will have him safely in custody. Do not fear, Oracle, your lover will live happy and hapless by your side after this.”_

_“I see. Very well, Somnus. I place my trust in you, Chosen King. Return to me my fiance and I will go along with your false declarations.”_

_The time was quick to pass and his choices weighed heavily upon him in that time. Had he made a mistake confiding in Somnus? He trusted the young boy he once knew but the boy had grown to be very different…_

_What was done was done, unfortunately, and he could only go along with all the preparations despite any last minute misgivings he might have had. At least this way he could have Ardyn close and start healing him bit by bit. But on the day of the crowning, when they were all in the crystal tower… It went wrong, so wrong._

_Ardyn came, yes, he did not get to correct the declaration. It was Somnus and his voice sounded wild and filled with a bitter rage. It made his heart drop his toes and all those sudden doubts came rushing back. He could not- would not stand here and watch this happen!_

_It is when he is bleeding out, a laceration down his back burning with a painful fire, that he wonders if this was the will of the Gods. As he looks up and sees the daemons in his lover surge forth, he wonders -not for the first time- why Bahamut did not elaborate on Ardyn’s own role. Was this ordained? Was his lover to fill the role of the monster in the hero’s tale?_

_He didn’t want that… Ardyn did not deserve that..._

_His thoughts were perhaps blasphemous as he bled out slowly but he did not care. All he wanted was for Adryn to be happy. He just wanted-_

* * *

**_₳₦Đ ₮Ⱨł₦₭ ₳฿ØVɆ ₮ⱧɆłⱤ ₴₮₳₮łØ₦_ **

_He tucked his hands in his lap, his smile stretched and painted. He didn’t want this, he never wanted this. It had always been Cousin Aera’s side of the family that handled the Gods and yet here he sat. The freshly crowned King, Savior of the World and Defeater of Adagium, sat across from him with a small smirk. It was meant to be construed as a smile probably but he did not see it as such, for he had seen Somnus’ many faces growing up and he was not fond of many of them._

_“My dear Unda, the arrangements have been set now. After your communion with the Gods we shall be married.”_

_Yes, he knew that thank you very much. It was horrible and he hated it. He wanted Cousin Aera and Uncle Ardyn back, he wanted his gardens and kittens back, he wanted his small cottage and the peace of the forest back…_

_“Indeed,” he said instead, stuffing all his negative feelings inside of a small box. “Let us pray to a prosperous life.”_

_For he certainly did not think he would -or wanted to- live a long one._

_The rest of the dinner passed in the same manner; Somnus making snide cruel remarks that reminded him of his upcoming doom and he responded as shortly as he could. His father looked so proud and honored sitting at Somnus’ right… At least his mother shared his trepidation and kept sending him small supportive smiles. Though, he most certainly could have done without her trying to crush his hand every five seconds._

_After that was his time to commune with the Crystal as its next Chosen Oracle._

_How anyone had figured that without him ever talking to the damn thing he couldn’t be sure but… Well, it wasn’t that he was against the Gods or didn’t believe in them, he just placed more importance on his peace and solitude than becoming some kind of Holy figure. He never really liked people much after all and it was going to be very trying to be a public figure stood next to that petty excuse of a man._

_Still, he bowed his head and opened his mind to show his willingness to accept his duty. And, of course, against that tiny ember of hope that the mighty Bladekeeper would not honor him- There he was._

_Oh, Astrals, it was horrifying and mesmerizing all at once. The sheer power the mighty Bahamut radiated was enough to crush the breath from his lungs. If he hadn’t already been on his knees, he had no doubt they would have hit the stone in a very painful manner._

_UNDA NOX FLEURET, HEAR ME._

_WHEN DARKNESS VEILS THE WORLD, THE KING OF LIGHT SHALL COME_

_And he saw-_

E v e r y t h i n g

_It is only later when he is frantically painting and writing despite being eight months pregnant (and Somnus’ objections) that the pieces form coherently in his mind. Bahamut had ordained a fate- a cruel fate for a sorry soul that would save the rest of the World._

_But in that fate there was something else. A string of thought that a mortal should not comprehend-_

_ᏖᏋᏒᏒᏗᎦᏝᏗᏒᏋ_

**_₴Ø ł ₦₳₥Ɇ ɎØɄ ₵Ⱨ₳₥₱łØ₦_ **

* * *

He choked, suspended as he was, on naught but the air in his lungs as the memories assaulted him; some snippets, others whole lifetimes. He became them and they were him. Every ache and sorrow, joy and love, every wound and trauma passed through him, adorned him.

Then came the _green_. It swirled and twirled, dancing on and in him, lending power while searching for the lock. His back burned like liquid fire and his hands soon followed. He could feel the pathway of every vein flood, feel every sinew contracting and expanding through the painful jolts, feel the breath of air through the very marrow in his bones. He was one with the elements and through them he saw the planet live and breath. He saw Her…

And She saw him, called him, and cried for him. She loves him, pities him, and wants him.

And he could do nothing in the face of Her. Nothing but cry and beg for She was so Beautiful and Warm. He never wanted to leave Her side again.

No, She tells him. Not yet. And it invokes in him such a desperate misery that he felt he would fall to pieces in front of Her. But it does not move Her because She Needs him. Needs his strength and his will. Needs his understanding and his love.

And he wants to give Her everything he has. He will love Her. He will protect Her. He will not let anything drag him from Her side. She only had to tell him what to do.

Instead, She showed him.

There was a festering rot in Her heart that she was only barely containing. With each pustule stabbed upon Her surface, it added to the growing infection inside Her. But he could destroy it with his Gift and Her Knowledge. She need only unlock it for him for he was damaged before he could manifest it correctly. And he need only ask for answers and he would receive them.

Yes, he would do this. He would Save her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are three recognizable final fantasy characters! Who can name them? XD
> 
> And yes, even the female point of views are done with male pronouns because it is Noctis experiencing the memories.
> 
> Please leave a kudo or a review! Because they really really do motivate me... and I love feedback!

**Author's Note:**

> To all the wonderful people on the discord chat, this one goes out to you! Thank you for all your help!
> 
> And to those who would like to join our beautifully supportive chat, be welcome!  
> https://discord.gg/dJ69Ejq


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